AUSTIN, TEXAS – In the 67th minute of a scoreless contest against No. 17 Texas, Virginia Tech's Bridget Patch took a pass from Kiersten Hening just outside the 18 and knocked it in for her first goal of the season and it held as the Hokies advanced to the second round of the 2018 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship with their 1-0 win on Friday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field.
For the Hokies (10-7-3), who were playing in their 10th NCAA Championship in program history, the win gives them double digits for the seventh time under head coach Chugger Adair and they move into the second round for the sixth time in their history – first since 2015. The Hokies will face Arkansas next Friday at a time and site to be determined after Saturday's results.
Texas (13-5-3), who was unbeaten at home this season with a perfect 10-0 mark, had the night's first real scoring chance in the 33rd minute, as Katie Glenn found herself one-on-one with Tech goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn on the left side of the six-yard box. Glenn shot and McGlynn made the first of her two saves in the contest to keep it a scoreless match.
About four minutes later, a Texas turnover in its own end saw Jordan Hemmen with a shot inside the 18 that was blocked for a corner kick. Emma Steigerwald had a shot on goal after the corner, which was saved by Longhorn goalkeeper Nicole Curry, who made all of her four saves in the match in the first half.
The Hokies kept pressuring and outshot Texas in the second half 6-4 and finally broke through with Patch's tally, her first career game-winning goal. It was the third goal of her career and her first since Sept. 7, 2017 at ETSU. Hening registered her first collegiate point with the assist on the game winner.
After the goal, Tech clamped down and allowed just one shot the rest of the night as McGlynn picked up her ninth shutout of the season and her 10th win.
FROM COACH ADAIR
Opening postmatch comments from @CoachChugger pic.twitter.com/pRG8auyz8x
— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) November 10, 2018
OF NOTE
- This was the first meeting between the two programs. However, Tech is now 6-3 all-time against current Big 12 opponents including winners in six straight.
- The Hokies also won for the first time in the state of Texas (1-2), losing those other two during the 2010 season in College Station.
- Tech won its third true road match in the NCAA tournament (3-5 overall) and the sixth all-time victory away from Blacksburg. Their last win was over Georgetown (4-3 in overtime) in University Park, Pennsylvania in 2014, while their last road win was at No. 9 West Virginia (1-0) in 2011.
- This season in Tech matches, the team that scores the first goal is 17-0-1, while the team that scores first also has shut out the opponent 13 times. The Hokies have registered seven of those shutouts. Tech is 10-1-1 in matches this season when scoring.
- When reaching the half 0-0, Tech is now 3-1-2 this season. The Hokies are 3-1-3 when the match is tied at the half.
- Tech improved to 11-9-1 in 10 NCAA postseason appearances.
- McGlynn now has 21 career shutouts (second all-time) and 28 career wins (tied for second all-time), while her 10 wins are tied for the seventh most in a single season and her nine shutouts are second most to Dayle Colpitts (11, 2013).
- Jaylyn Thompson started her 48th straight match for Tech, the longest consecutive streak on the team, while McGlynn has the second longest at 39.
- Two Hokies have played all 1,860 minutes of the season: McGlynn and Kelsey Irwin.
- Five Hokies have started all 20 matches this year: the two above, Emily Gray, Hemmen and Thompson.
(11/9/2018) 2018 NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER FIRST ROUND
UP NEXT
Tech will face Arkansas next Friday – time and location to be determined.