BLACKSBURG – The 2019 Virginia Tech women's soccer season is now complete. On Friday, four Hokies graduated from the school and three more will walk during the May commencement. Tech has announced almost all of its incoming class, eight released with two more to go, and despite a disappointing season-ending loss in the first round of the NCAA Championship, the team and individuals accomplished a lot.
To name a few:
- Mandy McGlynn was named a Second Team All-American and First Team Scholar All-American and finished her Tech career as one of the best ever to play for the Hokies, regardless of position
- Emily Gray, despite missing half the season due to injury, was named an All-Region player, along with McGlynn
- Tech made the NCAA tournament for the second straight year and the eighth time in the decade
- Two Hokies - McGlynn and Kelsey Irwin - made the All-ACC Postseason team once again
- The team won 12 matches for the first time since 2015 and just seventh time in school history and posted 10 shutouts for just the sixth time in program history
- They also started the year 9-0, tied for the second-longest all-time win streak at Tech
The student-athletes are now away from campus for a well-earned break, but in just over a month, the squad will return to Blacksburg for the spring semester, and will meet for the first time to begin its preparations for the 2020 season. Before that, though, let's wrap up the fall semester, which includes reflection from head coach Chugger Adair.
Q: Overall, what were your thoughts on the 2019 season?
CA: "I was pleased with the season. I think I was proud of the group and how we responded through much of the season. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the year with injuries, and different lineups, with people coming in and out. I was proud of the group maintaining our focus. I think going 8-0 in nonconference is a special thing for us to do and we really put ourselves in a really good spot going into conference. In our conference, it's always a challenge, so I was proud of our group as we went through the season. We had some difficult games and kept ourselves in most of the games throughout the year and gave ourselves an opportunity to win and get a result in probably almost every game. There might have been one or two games that you look back and maybe we didn't show up as well, but when you look at a 19-game season, I was proud of the group overall."
Q: The team will lose seven student-athletes to graduation, what was their impact on the program?
CA: "It was a special group for us for sure. I think we're losing quite a bit of seniors that logged a lot of minutes and had some really big moments throughout their time here – scoring big goals, making big saves, doing the grinding work in the midfield or defending. I think we had a special group of kids that have been a part of the program. We're definitely going to miss their on-the-field contributions, but also the leadership they bring, the experience they bring and just the overall people that they are. We're going to miss them. We're proud of them as a group. I think they've helped us grow and our program has gotten better since they've been a part of it."
Q: The team will welcome 10 newcomers to the program. As a whole, what are your thoughts about them?
CA: "We're really excited about this 2020 class. I think it's a class that shows a lot of experience and quality and there's a lot of versatility in this group. From the forward back, we have 10 kids coming in that are all going to compete for starting spots right off the bat and really add to our group. From a really solid forward line, really solid midfield play and the back, I think we have some strong players within all the lines that are going to impact us. We expect this to be a huge class for us moving forward, as they will be replacing some of our seniors and then also stepping into some spots. They could be earning their opportunities moving forward and we're looking forward to them stepping in and impacting the group right off the bat. I'm excited about this class, it's been a class we recruited years back and we're happy to get them on campus and seeing their impact on the team moving forward. From top to bottom, this might be one of the best classes in our history."
CLICK HERE for the latest "Get To Know" feature on Taylor Bryan, one of the 10 players in the incoming class. At the bottom of it is a list of the other seven already announced and links to their "Get To Know".
Q: What is the plan for the team moving into the new year?
CA: "For us, I think it's important – as a staff and as a team – to really enjoy this downtime, the break and holiday season. It gives us all a chance to get home, rejuvenate, regroup and get ready for the spring. Spring is going to be a big time of year for us to really go and develop kids in new positions. These are kids that have been a part of the program that maybe haven't stepped up and contributed as much as they wanted or we've wanted them to. So, it's going to be an opportunity for us to get those kids in the mix and push them and develop them to prepare them for the fall. We've got three incoming kids coming in this spring semester that are new freshmen to the group and another seven coming in the fall, so for us it's going to be about those kids stepping up. We all know that they can play, they are good soccer players and it's just going to be about how they fit in their roles and how they prepare and grow for this fall season."
Q: What are your final thoughts on the 2019 season?
CA: "It was a good year. Losing early in the NCAA tournament was painful for us, especially after making the run we did last year. I think we can use that to motivate us into the next year. We want to put together another run and put ourselves in that same position and really continue to grow and develop this program. The expectations that we have is being a Top 20 team year-in and year-out. I think we were right in the mix. I think our RPI finish of 24 was strong. I would have liked to have seen us push into that Top 10 if we could have, but that's us trying to have high standards and high expectations for our program. I think it was a solid year, but we want to try and build off of it and have continued growth and push ourselves into the Top 20, Top 10 year-in, year-out and be a nationally-recognized program."