BLACKSBURG - After sitting through NCAA selection shows over the past two seasons and leaving with an overwhelming sense of disappointment, members of the Virginia Tech women's soccer team exploded with joy when seeing the Hokies' name on the television screen late Monday afternoon. Despite sitting on the proverbial bubble, the Hokies found themselves rewarded by the selection committee, receiving an at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
The Hokies, who own a 9-7-3 overall record and went 5-5 in the ACC and advanced to the ACC Championship quarterfinals this fall, will face Texas in a first-round match Friday in Austin, Texas. Tech, which will be making its 10th NCAA appearance as a program, received the bid primarily because of its strong resumé. The Hokies' boasted a strong strength of schedule – they were one of five NCAA postseason eligible teams to play seven or more matches against teams in the top 25 of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) – and an RPI of 41 themselves. The Hokies enter the Championship led by All-ACC goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, who recorded eight shutouts this season, and All-ACC defender Kelsey Irwin.
Texas enters the game with a 13-4-3 record and a perfect 10-0 mark at home. They last played in the Big 12 Championship semifinals against West Virginia and dropped a 1-0 decision. The Hokies and the Longhorns kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
Highlighted by two No. 1 seeds, the Atlantic Coast Conference placed an NCAA-record 10 teams in the championship field, CLICK HERE to view the 2018 NCAA interactive bracket.
