The Hokies posted their 11th shutout of the year and advanced past Iowa behind Allie George's goal. (Virginia Tech athletics)

Allie George's 80th-minute goal sent No. 7 seed Virginia Tech past No. 3 seed Iowa in Sunday's Sweet Sixteen match in Los Angeles, Calif., propelling the Hokies to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

In a rockfight of a contest, the Hokies (14-5-3) posted their 11th clean sheet of the season against the No. 17 Hawkeyes (15-3-4). Senior goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove was clutch once again with two big saves, and Tech held Iowa at bay until George broke the deadlock on what appeared to be a cross from the right side of the pitch, but it curved over the head of Hawkeyes keeper Macy Enneking and into the net.

Both teams knocked on the door in the first half, but the best chance came from Tech midfielder Natalie Mitchell, who pushed a chance wide in the 14th minute. It was goalless at the break, though Iowa nearly pulled ahead when Millie Greer's 63rd-minute shot ricocheted off the right post.

Instead, it was Tech who had a magical moment. George, a senior right back from Louisville, Ky., notched her fourth goal of the year and third game-winner (Loyola Md., Syracuse). It's her second big contribution in the Big Dance, too, after she assisted Emma Pelkowski's game-winning second-round goal over No. 2 seed UCLA on Friday.

"I'm proud of the group tonight," Tech head coach Chugger Adair said in a video published by the program. "I think it was a very difficult turnaround against a very good Iowa team, and all they did was a great job. They came to play, grinded it out, 90 minutes of tough soccer against a good Iowa team. Proud of the way they committed themselves to the game plan."

Tech's impressive season continues on. It made the ACC Tournament this fall for the first time since 2020 and knocked off two top-10 teams in the regular season in Florida State (No. 6) and Notre Dame (No. 7). Now it's won three straight games in the postseason against Tennessee, No. 9 UCLA and No. 17 Iowa. What's more, it's done so while missing some key players due to injury, including midfielder Aino Vuorinen and forward Taylor Price.

The Hokies will face No. 1 seed Duke (17-2-1) in the Elite Eight on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+) at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. Ironically, they played the Blue Devils the last time they advanced this far in the NCAA Tournament back in 2013 — a 3-0 win for Tech in Blacksburg that punched the program's first-ever ticket to the College Cup.

The two sides have not met this year. Duke won the ACC regular-season title after posting a 9-0-1 record, with the lone blemish a 3-3 draw vs. then-No. 7 Notre Dame. The Blue Devils are 11-0-1 at home in 2024 and have outscored opponents 50-7 in those contests.

Virginia Tech and Duke are two of the six ACC teams in the Elite Eight, joining No. 2 seed North Carolina, No. 2 seed Wake Forest, No. 3 seed Stanford and No. 4 seed Notre Dame. The Tar Heels host No. 4 Penn State, the Demon Deacons head west to face No. 1 Southern Cal while the Cardinal and Irish clash in the Bay Area.

Box Score: No. 7 seed Virginia Tech 1, No. 3 seed Iowa 0 

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