BLACKSBURG – With a number of different scenarios in play for the final spot in the 2018 ACC Women's Soccer Championship, the only thing the Virginia Tech Hokies could control is their own result against the Louisville Cardinals at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium Thursday night.
While the other three ACC teams, who were also vying for the final spot, all lost their matches, the Hokies secured their spot in the tournament with a 1-0 victory and bolstered their chances to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015.
In the 36th minute, Tech got their first corner kick of the night, which was taken by Emily Gray. Jordan Hemmen, with the team's first and only shot on goal in the match, headed the ball into the net to put the Hokies on top. Cardinals' goalkeeper Gabrielle Kouzelos didn't even have a chance at a save.
Louisville (12-5-0, 6-4-0), who was looking to finish the regular season in the fourth spot in the upcoming tournament, was also limited in shots (8) and shots on goal (3) as the Tech defense was suffocating in the final third. The Cardinals came into the evening averaging two goals per game and had only been shut out once all season prior to tonight – oddly enough by the Commonwealth's other ACC team.
Tech (9-6-3, 5-5-0 ACC), who is now 9-0 when scoring first, saw goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn make three saves to notch her eighth shutout of the season, which is the second most ever in a single season at the school. Only Dayle Colpitts had more with 11 in 2013, when the Hokies made the College Cup.
FROM COACH ADAIR
"I'm extremely excited and proud of the group tonight. I thought it was a tremendous team effort and a massive win for us. The team played well from start to finish and the team really stuck to the game plan and defended well. We were organized and really just grinded out a road win here, which is difficult against a very athletic Louisville team. Congrats to the players for their effort and making a trip back to the ACC tournament. We're excited for the opportunity to get another crack at Carolina on Sunday.
OF NOTE
- This was the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs and is completely tied at 2-2-2, but Tech is 2-0-2 in the last four matches. The Hokies are now 2-1-0 all-time in the Bluegrass State.
- This season in Tech matches, the team that scores the first goal is 15-0-1. The Hokies are 9-1-1 when they score a goal.
- Tech's 5-5-0 mark in the ACC is its best finish since 2015, when the team went 6-3-1. This is the fourth time in eight seasons under Adair the Hokies finished at least .500 in the ACC and made the NCAA tournament the other three times.
- Hemmen scored her third goal of the season, tied for second on the team, and it was the fifth of her career. It was her second game-winner of the year, fourth of her career.
- Gray tallied her team-leading fifth assist of the year and is second in points with nine.
- McGlynn recorded her 20th career shutout, tying her for the second most ever in a career at the school (Mallory Soldner, 2002-06). This was her 27th career win, one shy of tying Soldner for the second most at Tech. She also now has 198 saves in her career, fifth most at the school.
- Jaylyn Thompson started her 46th straight match for Tech, the longest consecutive streak on the team, while McGlynn has the second longest at 37.
- Two Hokies have played all 1,680 minutes of the season: McGlynn and Kelsey Irwin.
- Five Hokies have started all 17 matches this year: the two above, Gray, Hemmen and Thompson.
UP NEXT
Tech will enter the ACC Championship as the No. 8 seed and will face top-seeded, and No. 3 in the country, North Carolina at Koka Booth Stadium in WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina on Sunday with kickoff slated for 1 p.m.