BLACKSBURG – Wrapping up its three-match ACC road swing, the No. 17 Virginia Tech women's soccer team will set out to pick up three league points at Wake Forest on Sunday, Oct. 10, when Tech makes its way into Spry Stadium. Sunday's 5 p.m. match between the Hokies and the Demon Deacons will air live on ACC Network.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
• Thursday Takeaways: Virginia Tech is coming off its first ACC setback of the 2021 season after the Hokies were defeated, 1-0, by Clemson at Historic Riggs Field. Tech conceded its earliest goal of the 2021 season (18th minute) and was forced into playing from behind for the remainder of the night, charting a season low for attempts on target (two). With the loss, the Hokies were bumped outside the top six tournament-qualifying positions in the ACC table, dropping to a tie for seventh place alongside No. 5 North Carolina. However, Tech can vault back into postseason contention if it can claim three points against Wake Forest, against which the Hokies are unbeaten through five consecutive series meetings (4-0-1). Tech is also 9-0-3 during its last 12 matches at Spry Stadium across all competitions, including neutral site matches and tournaments.
• Top-100 Hokies: With the first half of the 2021 regular season on ice, Virginia Tech recently celebrated two players who were named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's individual top 100 rankings. At the center of the Hokies' attack, senior midfielder Emily Gray was ranked No. 27 in the outlet's national pool. Gray, who was named the ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 5, leads Tech with nine goals and enters Sunday's match in possession of the league's second highest point total (22). Among collegiate freshmen, center back Allie Lewis was ranked No. 28 by the outlet for her standout defending this season. Lewis leads the Hokies' core of outfield players in total minutes and has been a vital piece to Tech's defensive unit that has logged four clean sheets and achieved a 0.97 goals against average.
• What's At Stake: Virginia Tech continues to ride one of its best all-time starts to ACC play. With a win on Sunday, the Hokies would achieve their fourth best six-match conference start to date and their most successful league-opening run since the 2015 campaign. Tech would also clinch a .500 winning percentage or better for the 2021 season, marking the 10th such instance during head coach Chugger Adair's 11 seasons at the helm of the Hokies.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will return home on Friday, Oct. 15, to host No. 1 Florida State at Thompson Field. Kickoff between the Hokies and the Seminoles is scheduled for 5 p.m.
