Virginia Tech women’s soccer drew Tennessee in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as revealed Monday afternoon.
“It’s tremendous for us,” Tech head coach Chugger Adair said. “I think those young ladies and student-athletes have bought into what we’ve been trying to do. … We didn’t make it last year, it’s a chip on our shoulder that we get to train and be ready, and it’s a testament to the work the ladies have put in throughout the year, throughout the summer and into the fall.”
The Hokies (11-5-3, 6-2-2 ACC) had a fantastic regular season and earned the right to host in the Big Dance. They’re the No. 7 seed in the region of the bracket headlined by No. 1 seed Duke, and they’ll square off with the Volunteers (9-6-4, 3-4-3 SEC) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson Field.
It’s the seventh time Tech’s hosted a first-round game in its history and the first since Nov. 12, 2021, when it beat Ohio State 3-1. It had an impressive 7-2 record in Blacksburg this year, highlighted by a 3-2 victory over then-No. 6 Florida State on Oct. 6.
“I got to do that my freshman year so I know exciting that is,” Tech senior midfielder Emma Pelkowski said of opening the postseason at home. “But our last time we played at Thompson was against UVa, Halloween night [and a 1-0 loss], so knowing we get to play again in front of our fans and knowing that wasn’t the last time we’re home, I’m excited.”
It was a thrilling selection show for Tech’s seniors, who made it a goal before the season to get back to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last year. It’s a tight-knit team led by its veterans — especially on the defensive end with defenders Allie George, Eden Skyers and Allie Lewis and keeper Lauren Hargrove.
No. 33 in the RPI, the Hokies posted two top-10 wins in 2024 — vs. FSU and at No. 7 Notre Dame — and made the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2020 as the No. 5 seed.
“It means so much, not just to me but to this program and to this team,” Tech junior forward Taylor Price said. “I think we’ve shown this year how capable we are at winning big games and being an important team, so it means a lot to us to see how much our work has shown up for and how much we’ve been able to prove, and just getting this moment is a great accomplishment in itself, but definitely looking forward to making a run.”
https://twitter.com/HokiesWSoccer/status/1856104272028450982
Tennessee is a pretty familiar opponent for Tech. Though the two sides have only met three times and not since 2017, Adair knows Vols head coach Joe Kirt and his team’s style well. The Hokies also thought they might draw the Vols as their first-round opponents and did some early scouting.
Kirt’s group has three key goalscorers in Kameron Simmonds, Sizzy Lawton and Jordan Fusco. Simmonds is a Midlothian native who starred at James River High School and leads the Vols with eight goals and three assists in 2024.
“We think they’ll be very difficult to score on, very difficult to break down, very organized and I know that they’re a motivated group as well,” Adair said.
The Hokies are one of nine ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament, eight of which are hosts. A breakdown by seed:
- 1 Duke
- 1 Florida State
- 2 North Carolina
- 2 Wake Forest
- 3 Stanford
- 4 Notre Dame
- 4 Virginia
- 7 Virginia Tech
- Cal
Tech fared pretty well in league play this year, a confidence booster heading into the postseason.
“The ACC is a gauntlet,” Adair said. “When you look at the games you play and the different talents and different styles, I think it’s something that’s very difficult, so that’s definitely prepared us. And like I told the ladies, we’ve seen all sorts of different emotions throughout the year where we’ve been up, we’ve been down, we’ve chased games, we’ve came back.
“Those are all things that are going to help us in the end and in these difficult moments that we’ll face moving forward.”