Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Seventh-seeded Virginia Tech defeated the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at Thompson Field.
Anna Weir fired the Hokies into the lead within the first two minutes of the game – scoring her fourth goal of the season – while Natalie Mitchell’s goal in the 51st minute proved to be the game winner.
It is the first NCAA Tournament win for the Hokies since 2021.
How it Happened
Virginia Tech immediately started the game off with a goal from Anna Weir in the second minute of the match. Shortly after, Tennessee responded in the fifth minute of the game with a goal of their own coming from Kennedy Price. The following 40 minutes were a tough back-and-forth match, with the Hokies’ backline keeping it a 1-1 contest.
The second half started the same as the Hokies continued to dominate possession. Just six minutes into the final 45, Natalie Mitchell granted the Hokies the lead again in the 51st minute. After a perfectly executed press, Mitchell won the ball just outside the 18-yard-box, dribbled in and scored with a nice finish in the top left corner.
Tech takes the lead off Natalie Mitchell's fourth goal of the season 💪#Hokies⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6pqSbI418q
— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) November 16, 2024
Tech continued to outshoot the Lady Volunteers throughout the remaining 45 and tallied 13 shots to Tennessee’s three. The Volunteers’ best look came late in the second half off a cross, but Lauren Hargrove punched it away.
The Hokies advance to the NCAA Second Round for the first time since 2021.
Game Notes
• The Hokies advance to the NCAA Second Round as a No. 7 seed
• Tech is now 14-13-1 in all-time NCAA Tournament matchups
• Tech improved to 2-1-1 against Tennessee in all-time matchups
• The win marks the first NCAA Tournament victory at Thompson Field since 2021
• Tech saw its best-attended match of the season as 1,200 fans packed Thompson Field
• The Hokies tallied more shots (18), shots on goal (eight) and corner kicks (7) than Tennessee
• Anna Weir scored first for the Hokies
• Weir’s goal in the second minute was the fastest goal in a NCAA Tournament match in program history
• Natalie Mitchell scored her second game-winning goal of the season
• It is both Mitchell and Weir’s fourth goals of the season
• Samantha DeGuzman recorded her second assist of the season
• Allie George, Lauren Gogal, Allie Lewis, Kylie Marschall, Emma Pelkowski and Eden Skyers all played the entire match
• Tech’s backline held Tennessee to just two shots on goal
• Lauren Hargrove finished the match with one save
Up Next
Seventh-seeded Virginia Tech (12-5-3, 6-2-2 ACC) moves on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and faces second-seeded UCLA (17-3-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) on Friday, Nov. 22 in Los Angeles.