Five Reasons to Attend: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. TennesseeFive Reasons to Attend: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Women's Soccer

Five Reasons to Attend: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee

Hokies open NCAA tournament with home game Friday

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BLACKSBURG – After punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Virginia Tech Women’s Soccer will open their tournament run at home against Tennessee on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup will see the No. 12 Hokies (11-5-3, 6-2-2 ACC) play host to a Lady Volunteers (9-6-4, 3-4-3 SEC) team that most recently fell in the second round of the SEC Tournament to Mississippi State. With a chance to make a deep run combined with the excitement of a tournament in Blacksburg, fans won’t want to miss this event. Here are five reasons to attend the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Thompson Field this Friday. 

  1. Tournament History – When the Hokies hit the pitch against the Lady Volunteers on Friday, it will be the fourteenth NCAA tournament appearance in Tech history and the tenth under head coach Charles “Chugger” Adair. This will also be the third time in four years that the Hokies have clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament.
  2. Ranked Momentum – Coming into the matchup, the Hokies and Lady Volunteers have performed rather differently against their most recent ranked opponents. While Tennessee lost two of their last three games against ranked opponents, the Hokies come into Friday with wins against then-No. 6 Florida State and then-No. 7 Notre Dame. The two victories catapulted Adair and the Hokies to a No. 12 ranking, their best United Soccer Coaches ranking since 2015. 
  3. Glad to be Back – For the first time since 2021, Thompson Field will host the first round of the NCAA tournament. In the last NCAA tournament game in Blacksburg, the Hokies claimed a 3-1 victory over Ohio State behind goals from midfielder Emily Gray, forward Tori Powell and defender Emma Steigerwald. Friday will be the seventh first round matchup played in Blacksburg in school history, and the Hokies are 7-6-0 in first round matches. 

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  1. Unique Matchup – Friday’s contest will be the first time the Hokies and the Lady Volunteers have squared off in tournament play. The Hokies are unbeaten (1-0-1 record) against Tennessee in all-time home matchups. When the Lady Volunteers travel to Thompson Field on Friday, it will be the first time the team has played in Blacksburg since 2015. 
  2. Last Hurrah – Of the 35 Hokies on the women’s soccer roster this season, 11 are seniors at Virginia Tech. The group, led by goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove and defender Allie George, will look to start their last tournament run donning maroon and orange against Tennessee on Friday. Hargrove has had a tremendous defensive season, highlighted by two ACC  Defensive Player of the Week nods. She will look to continue her dominance against a Lady Volunteers team that has attempted 11.1 shots per game this fall. George, who has been effective on defense throughout the entire year, has also been key in many Hokie victories, netting two game-winning goals (one against Loyola Maryland, one against Syracuse) over 17 games.