No. 12 Hokies women’s soccer is one win away from the College Cup as it travels to No. 1 Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
“I’ve been extremely pleased with my group,” Virginia Tech head coach Chugger Adair said Tuesday. “The ladies have been resilient all year. They’ve shown some tenacity, some grit and what it means to be a Hokie and a student-athlete here at Virginia Tech. The run we’ve been on has been tremendous, it’s taken a lot of hard work and discipline and a professional mentality from the team, so extremely proud of the players, the staff and the group overall.”
It’s been an impressive 2024 campaign for the No. 7 seed Hokies (14-5-3), who were consistent throughout the regular season, finishing with an 11-4-3 record (6-2-2 ACC) and two top-10 wins vs. then-No. 6 Florida State and at then-No. 7 Notre Dame. They made the six-team ACC Tournament for the first time since 2020, too.
The last two weeks have been special, though. Tech was selected as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted Tennessee on Nov. 15, prevailing 2-1 thanks to Natalie Mitchell’s game-winner in the 51st minute. It continued to pick up steam as it headed west to Los Angeles, where it had two of its best games of the year.
In the second round at No. 2 seed UCLA, the Hokies upset the hosts 2-1, an impressive feat against the best defensive team in the country. The Bruins had allowed just eight goals all season and hadn’t conceded more than two in a single match; Tech scored twice in a two-minute span in the second half — one off an own goal and the other from Mitchell — to advance.
Tech didn’t blink in the Sweet Sixteen against No. 3 seed Iowa either, keeping its 11th clean sheet of the year while Allie George’s 80th-minute winner sent them through to the Elite Eight.
“Looking at the teams we’ve played this season, the wins we’ve earned, we’ve beaten the two past national champions, Florida State and UCLA,” Adair said. “This past weekend was a culmination of the effort and the determination from this group.”
It’s a completely different position from where the squad was a year ago. It finished with a 7-8-3 record in 2023 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament, which was motivation heading into this season. The senior-led Hokies have played with a chip on their shoulder all year — and even more so after not placing anyone on the All-ACC teams, which Adair described as “a little bit of a thorn in our side” — and it’s shown, especially in tough situations.
Their depth has been challenged multiple times because of injuries, but they’ve continued to power forward. Aino Vuorinen, one of their engines in the midfield, was hurt on Sept. 22 at Boston College and hasn’t played since. Moreover, forward Taylor Price, the team’s leading goalscorer with six, went down during training before the UCLA game and will miss the rest of the year.
Tech even lost George, one of its two captains and a senior leader on the back line, for two games in October — and still managed to earn a road victory at Notre Dame.
“I think any good team can have multiple people that can step up and be stars,” Adair said. “[Price’s injury] was just disappointing for us and sad for the group, but we had to move forward and focus on the games on the weekend, and the ladies did a good job of that. Next player stepped up.
“… We’ve had some injuries over the year, it’s just normal for teams when you go through such a long season, but it showed the quality of our depth, the quality of the commitment to the team and the team aspect and the ladies that are willing to step up. We played two different formations against two completely different type of teams on the weekend and were extremely pleased to get the results.”
They’ll have to rise to the challenge again Saturday evening in Koskinen Stadium against the top-ranked Blue Devils (17-2-1, 9-0-1 ACC). The overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Duke’s been phenomenal in the final year under legendary head coach Robbie Church (397-198-78, .648), who hopes to retire after 31 years in the women’s game with a national championship.
The ACC regular-season champions’ only blemish on their conference résumé this year was a 3-3 draw vs. Elite Eight participant Notre Dame on Oct. 24. Their two losses came against top-10 teams: at Ohio State (1-0) in the first game of the year and vs. another Elite Eight squad in North Carolina in the ACC Tournament (2-1).
It’s the most balanced group in the country with the No. 2 scoring offense (3.4 goals per game), the No. 2 goal differential (54) and the No. 15 goals-against average (.650). Duke also leads the nation in assists (78).
Maggie Graham is the Blue Devils’ leading goalscorer with 14. She recorded a brace in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament vs. Howard and Texas Tech and had a hat trick back on Oct. 10 at fellow Elite Eight participant Stanford. Mia Minestrella has 12 goals too, four of which came against Howard.
On top of that, they’ve got the NCAA’s two assist leaders in Ella Hase and Mia Oliaro, who each have 13 on the year. Devin Lynch has 10, too. In all, 15 different players have multiple goals or assists in 2024.
“Duke’s a very difficult team to play,” Adair said. “I think they’ve had a tremendous year. They’re a special team, they’re senior-laden with some graduate students as well, so they’re experienced. They can score goals, they’re attacking-minded. …
“We know we’re going to have to play our A-game, be organized defensively and be able to handle some of their offensive powers, but we’re going to have to come to play. We’re excited for the opportunity. Playing in our conference prepares us for this game, when we play [North] Carolina, Florida State, all of the different top teams.”
If Tech’s going to do something special in Durham, it’s going to start on defense, where it’s been so strong all year. Because of injuries and other absences, it’s used seven different players along the back line — and allowed just 16 goals. Its .730 goals-against average ranks 22nd.
The current iteration of senior Eden Skyers at left back, sophomore Kylie Marshall partnering with senior Allie Lewis in the middle, George on the right and senior goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove behind them has worked together well.
“I think the back line has been tested throughout the season, and no more than this past weekend,” Adair said. “… [Hargrove]’s been somebody who’s been a consistent performer and very difficult to beat on the back line. … Georgie has been able to get up and down that flank and put herself into the space where she can be dangerous, scoring goals, set pieces. … [Kylie] has started every match for us, so she’s learned and grown as the season’s gone.
“Add in Allie Lewis with her experience. … And then I think a fan favorite, from what I hear from people, is Eden Skyers with her effort and her tenacious tackles. … So it creates a good balance of athleticism and experience.”
The Hokies have met challenges head-on all season long, and they’ll try to do so again against the top team in the land on Saturday. With a win, they’d become just the second team at Tech to advance to the College Cup, joining the 2013 group — which beat Duke 3-0 in the Elite Eight to get there.
“There’s been a lot of different moments, ups and downs, that have kind of built our group, and we’re embracing who we are and how we can play together as a group,” Adair said.