BLACKSBURG – Within striking distance of earning the sixth and final qualifying spot for the 2021 ACC tournament, the Virginia Tech women's soccer team will have everything to play for on Thursday, Oct. 28, when Tech descends on Syracuse for the teams' 7 p.m. regular season finale. Thursday's tilt between the Hokies and the Orange will air live on ACC Network Extra.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
• ACC Decision Day: Virginia Tech enters Thursday's ACC Decision Day in sole possession of eighth place in the league table – two positions and two points behind Clemson, which currently controls the final postseason spot. To qualify for the ACC tourney on Thursday, the Hokies would need to defeat Syracuse in addition to witnessing a Clemson loss and a North Carolina loss or draw. Should Tech clinch the No. 6 seed, the Hokies would travel to any of four campus sites (Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame or Wake Forest) to contest their ACC quarterfinal match on Sunday, Oct. 31.
• Postseason Resume: Despite its uncertain ACC tournament fate, Virginia Tech has put forth a convincing resume during the 2021 regular season to earn qualification for the NCAA tournament. As of Monday, the Hokies rank No. 28 in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer RPI, having earned four results from seven matches against top-50 programs (2-3-2). On Tuesday, Tech received the 27th most points in the United Soccer Coaches national top 25 poll, jumping five positions after notching back-to-back victories against Miami (Oct. 21) and Boston College (Oct. 24). Among the Hokies' top results of the 2021 season, Tech came away with a true road win at No. 12 South Carolina (Sept. 12) while posting same-week draws at No. 4 North Carolina (Sept. 23) and against No. 2 Duke (Sept. 26). The Hokies have also qualified for the NCAA tournament during seven of their previous eight 10-win seasons achieved under the leadership of head coach Chugger Adair.
• Full Strength: Virginia Tech's triple attacking threat of Emily Gray, Nicole Kozlova and Tori Powell will be fully operational on Thursday when the Hokies pull into the SU Soccer Stadium to take on the Orange. Gray enters her regular season finale ranked third all-time in career points at Virginia Tech (74) – one point shy of tying Kelly Conheeny for second place (75) across program history. The senior playmaker stands as a leading candidate to be named ACC Midfielder of the Year, ranking second within the conference in total points (28) while tied for second in goals scored (11). Kozlova is one of two Hokies who are scheduled to return to the team this week after stepping away for international duty, joining sophomore center back Victoria Haugen. Last week, Kozlova made a pair of appearances for the Ukrainian Women's National Team during 2023 World Cup qualifying. In similar fashion, Haugen honored her call-up to the Norwegian Under-23 Women's National Team, competing in two international friendlies.
UP NEXT
Should Virginia Tech earn an ACC tournament berth, the Hokies would compete in the league quarterfinal round on Sunday, Oct. 31. The selection show for the 2021 NCAA tournament will take place on Monday, Nov. 8, at 4:30 p.m.
