BLACKSBURG – Just 90 seconds before the half, senior Mikayla Mance scored her second goal of the 2019 season and gave No. 25 Virginia Tech a one-goal lead heading into the break.
Then, redshirt-freshman Nicole Kozlova sealed a 2-0 victory over visiting Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Field with her first collegiate goal as the Hokies improved to 2-0 on the season with the nonconference win.
Mance took a pass from Lilly Weber from about 24 yards out, stuck a ball towards the far post and beat Cincinnati goalkeeper Madison Less. It was Mance's third career goal and would become her second career game winner.
In the 84th minute, Kozlova sealed the win with an insurance goal off a free kick from Kelsey Irwin. Her 40-plus yard strike floated into the box and just over Jordan Hemmen's head, who took two defenders with her and left Kozlova all along. She did not miss the shot attempt.
Tech senior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn did not have to make a save in the match as she picked up her 31st win as a Hokie and notched the 24th career shutout at the school. Those numbers are both second all-time at the school.
Quick Notes:
- Tech is now 2-0-0 against Cincinnati. The first meeting between the two programs was in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Championship at Thompson Field.
- The Hokies are now 3-1-1 on this date, August 25, winners of three in a row.
- Tech is now 42-9-8 all-time in matches played in the month of August, including a 25-1-6 mark at home – unbeaten in 30 straight. The Hokies are 30-1-5 under Adair in August, 17-0-3 at home.
- At Thompson Field, Tech is now 99-43-19 all-time (a .676 win percentage).
- Jaylyn Thompson has now started 52 straight matches, McGlynn 43 straight and Kelsey Irwin 36.
- McGlynn has played 3,686:43 straight minutes since the last time she was substituted (Aug. 25, 2017).
- Mance now has 11 career points, tied for fourth best on the team.
- Irwin and Weber each notched their fifth career assists, with Irwin increasing her career point total to a team-best 15. Weber now has nine.
Quoting Mance:
Postgame with @mikayla_mance - talking about her game winner and Tech's 2-0 start. pic.twitter.com/qRhOe6WC6Q
— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) August 25, 2019
From Coach Adair:
"It was a very good goal by Mikayla Mance who was set the game apart on some good movement from Kiersten Hening and Lilly Weber to put Mance in a good position and she buried a great goal. It was well timed, just before half. Nicole Kozlova also scored a timely goal for us - her first goal as a Hokie - and we were excited to see that and to get multiple goal scorers on the board again.
Up Next:
Tech (2-0) heads to Athens, Georgia, next weekend to take on a pair of SEC opponents. They will face the Bulldogs on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Auburn on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Gallery: (8/25/2019) 2019 WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. CINCINNATI