thomash05

Says Nova Southeastern for '26, then the second game is "TBD date 2027, in the DMV region".

STAA's All-Americans. They're the ones who hand out the Jim Nantz Award for collegiate sports broadcasters. Braden is the voice of both the Salem RidgeYaks and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.

Also for football, though not for any of the other sports

And I agree with that in spades. Lots of really talented freshmen and sophomores starting to grow into their voices

I've used that word a couple times before

Just stopped working right before I was about to ask the final question. Pete: "Earth to Thomas". Me (with my mic not working): "Can y'all hear me?"

Would assume UVA's level is the same (perhaps a little bit higher).

I FOIA'd the contract details, which were amended to be effective June 30, 2026. Base salary is $200,000 effective July 1, 2026. Raises to $210,000 effective July 1, 2027. Should the team reach the NCAA tourney, she receives $10,000. There are two interesting bits here: a) Her contract runs through June 30, 2028. b) In Article 1, TERM OF AGREEMENT: "... Provided, however, that if the lacrosse team qualifies for the NCAA tournament in either the 2026 or 2027 seasons, this Employment Contract shall be extended by one year under the same terms as the final year of the term as set forth herein." Whit Babcock signed off on the extension on Nov. 24, 2025. Tim Sands did so on Dec. 1, 2025. Skiera did so on Oct. 29.

“I think this is the first time that we have gone into the final two games of the season knowing they were our final two games. I thought it could go either two ways, either you could step foot and be defeated and kind of wallow in your own sorrow, or you could use that as an opportunity to play free and with nothing to lose.” By RPI, they’re out. My initial methodology was that if they made the ACCT and played UNC close, they could play onto the bubble. She mentioned Galica (5G) had quick hands and that the ball was nearly impossible to get from her stick. Thought the team played one of its best offensive game of the season, made a lot of plays to “compensate for the draw”.

At minimum, I think VT needed to win out (or go 3-1, with some really, really good play in whichever game they loss) and produce a stellar showing in ACCTR1 (against UNC). I think if they had gone 4-0 and at least kept it close for three quarters, there could've been a chance (maybe 20%?) to make the NCAAs. In essence, that is gone since VT lost an extra game to potentially make a case for it.

Pitt won today, which puts it at 4-6 in ACC play. VT loses the head-to-head with the Panthers.

It holds the head-to-head over Pitt, which holds its own head-to-head over VT

Last seed is UVa., which is likely to win over BC (13-9, 11m left in 4Q). That, and Pitt won in overtime 15-14 to push its ACC mark to four wins. ** Edited by thomash05 at 4/11/2026, 2:46:19 PM

Will be interesting to see how Pitt plays in its last two games.

Virginia Tech outscored ND 5-1 in the last quarter. Quote that stuck out to me from Skiera: “Slow [first] three quarters. I am proud of how we rallied at the end of the game. … I am really proud of how we defended in the second half, really limiting their looks and their goals. … On the offensive side of the ball, just too stale. I thought Lauren [Render] and Sarah Murrell had awesome outings… But really needed to minimize our turnovers and be better finishes on the offensive end. … We made the adjustments we needed to, but it’s these slow starts that get us in a really bad spot. Can’t do that against one of the best teams in the country.”

Margin has largely held steady.

Snowballing. VT picked up goals from Murrell and Karman, but it's been outshot 20-6.

Boston College hasn't been the powerhouse like previous seasons, but no slouch. If Virginia Tech can't win today, it's paramount that they take care of business against Cal in the Golden State.

* UVa. loses out * Virginia Tech wins out I believe Notre Dame is guaranteed into the eight-team tournament if it wins today then by virtue of head-to-head vs. VT.

Notre Dame has five shots to Virginia Tech's one.

On how team played: RW: “I thought we did really well. We really battled back in the first quarter and just really pulled it together to finish a really strong game and just really play together today.” AP: “I think we are really good with not taking our out-of-conference opponents lightly. I think we have a really tough in-conference schedule, so we make sure that we put our out-of-conference opponents away. And I think that this ECU team was really hungry after the schedule that they've had. They've had a really tough out-of-conference schedule, so I think that we knew that we had to be really gritty in order to have success in this game. And I think that everyone was really good with going after every ground ball, putting away their shots and stopping them 1v1.” On Phalines’ strong day: AP: “I think the biggest thing was the confidence that my teammates instilled in me. I think that high, I was with Kam [Henson] and Reese a lot, and they were really good at telling me that I had the dodge, and I think that's like a really good momentum boost for me, knowing that they believe in me. I was just hungry to get down the cage, and when I didn't have it, I tried to pull it out, but when I saw the green light, I let it go.” On the second-quarter surge: RW: “Just a little bit of a wake-up call, just to be, like, ‘All right, like, here we go. Let's try to shift the momentum.’ Obviously, we've had a few slow starts this year, or slow halves, and we didn't want to have that be our game. So, we just really put it together, I guess.” On full-game execution: AP: “I think we definitely picked it up as the game went on. I think one of our strengths as a team, as much as sometimes we won't come out the sharpest, I think we're really good at adjusting to how the other team is playing, finding their weaknesses and attacking those.” On Notre Dame up next and what a win would mean: RW: “It would be great. It would pretty much guarantee us a trip to the ACC tournament, and that'd be huge. So obviously, a big win like that would be great. We haven't had one this year, so we're really hungry for one.” On playing in honor of Morgan’s Message: AP: “I think it's so special that we're able to have a platform, and we're able to help spread awareness. I think it's something that's so important, and Virginia Tech does a great job spreading awareness of it. I think that a lot of college athletes, especially, really realize how important mental health is when we get to college. So, I think it's really important how much emphasis we put on it."

On team's performance: "Honestly, I'm obviously critical, and think we can play better, but I do think it was a great win for us. I think having a really tough turnaround, coming back, getting from home, from Clemson at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning ... I was a little worried that we could come out flat or, you know, kind of just not be on our game. But I thought today was a great team win. I think there were way more positives than the negatives coming out of today. I love that we had nine different goal scorers, four different multi-goal scores.. I love that defense really stepped it up and played a really good brand of man to man. So there are a lot of things I did love about today's game." On ECU's defense: 'They play a man to man defense, and they're athletic and really physical. We were really confident in what lanes would be open for us to drive. And you saw a lot of our top dodgers, our midfielders got a lot of great looks on cage. I think they've got a really good goalie, and they do some things to kind of disrupt your shot. But overall, I think we got all the right looks. And we could have been a little bit better at finishing, but it was great. And I think the girls played really well in accordance with the game plan." On what were some of the specifics ECU used to disrupt Tech's shots: "We got caught. ... It does impact the shot a little bit when you feel like there's a lot of defenders hanging out of the top side of the of the cage. I think it caused us to either miss the cage, or, you saw one or two occasions, we actually hit a ECU defender. So I thought they did a good job sending some late slides. ... When we took an early shot, early in the offense, I think they made us pay for it, whether it was an early save, or they got a stick on it. So, I think we need to be a little bit more patient. But their goalie played well, and they're really physical, physical defenders." On Phalines: "Loved it. Ally’s strength as a dodger, a power dodger, and getting outside to the alley — played in really well to our game plan today. So, I was really happy to see her have some success." On Morgan's Message: "I think it's a great opportunity to represent [Morgan's Message] and bring awareness to something. I recruited Morgan to Duke. I didn't get to coach her. I left for Army before she came to Duke, but obviously, having her play for my alma mater and being a part of her recruitment, it's definitely a cause and a person that is dear to my heart, and I think athletes can learn a lot. I think Morgan's family has done a tremendous job, kind of carrying on her legacy and helping educate and inform athletes on mental health and how to best manage that as a student athlete. So, I think it's great — any opportunity we get to bring awareness to just a great initiative, awesome."

She mentioned that she recruited Morgan Rodgers (the player in honor whom Morgan's Message was created) to Duke before she left to be the head coach at Army. Full quote is included below:

Think it may just be a precautionary thing to avoid exacerbating anything. I'll try to ask for clarification on Saturday.

Virginia Tech pulled away by as many as six. Phalines career-high three goals.

Hokies creating separation, have broken through ECU's zone. 8-2 Hokies since end of first quarter.

ECU cut it to one, but VT responded with consecutive goals from Karman and Wallich.

Polar opposite of last game's second quarter. VT held ECU scoreless with a four-goal second frame ** Edited by thomash05 at 3/31/2026, 1:57:17 PM

ECU leads 6-4 on draws.

Phalines has two of VT's first three goals, while Wallich has the other one. VT is finding success once it's breaking through ECU's first layer of zone. ** Edited by thomash05 at 3/31/2026, 1:19:58 PM

for VT's NCAAT hopes.

Starters: M Lauren Kelly, M Emma Rowland, A Sophia Trahan, A Reese Wallich, A Lauren Render, D Madison Baumgratz (first career start) D Caroline Little, D Zoee Stencil, A Mia Pozzi, M Maggie Flanagan, M Sarah Murrell. GK: Malie Follet. Will keep posted with updates roughly once or twice a quarter.

Still out and practicing, though

Got a 3:30 p.m. class, so let's hope that postgame media wraps up quick.

Unknown. Also, I agree 1,000% on the facilities front. The lacrosse facility for Clemson is designed for that only, while Thompson Field is utilized for both lacrosse and soccer. Also, didn't show up in the quote, but Render immediately responded to my question about Pitt beating them and that being one they'd like to have back. There's a blueprint to where Virginia Tech can make the tournament, but like they've said, it requires full-game execution. For portions of the game, VT looks like an NCAAT-caliber team. Gotta stretch that the full 60 minutes, though.

Reaction to first career goal: "When I saw I got the 8-meter, I was like 'OK, it's time to go,' and it worked out in my favor." On Clemson's 7-1 second-quarter surge: "I would say they shared the ball really well, and they made sure it was the best play for them on offense. So, we hope we use that and we're going to learn from our mistakes, and we're just going to move forward." On Render: " I [said to her after halftime], 'You have the whole other half. Start 0-0.' And I knew she was going to do it. When she's locked in, she could do anything." On biggest area of improvement needed over final four games: "Something that we're really trying to pull away now is having every part of our game to be working. So maybe if the offense is working, but we need the draw, we need the defense. We need everything where you can't really win games when not everything is clicking."

On team performance: "I think we started out slow... offensively and defensively. It can't come down to the fourth quarter of us coming back because there's not enough time. It needs to be from the start." On response down stretch: "I think it just shows the heart that we have as a team and how much we want to win. But again, it just can't come down to that last quarter of us trying to make that comeback." On Catherine Karman, who scored her first career goal: "Cat was actually my roommate, [on this trip], and she's just such a hype up girl, so us being able to hype her up is just so important. ... Often has been hurt, so just to see her bounce back from that injury, it's just absolutely incredible." On her six goals: "I think I started out slow. I think I had some passes in the inside. I wasn't strong with the ball in the beginning of the game. And I mean, I can always do better to help on the ride. And I think, yeah, the last quarter, I really turned it around." On if the Pitt loss stings and is one Render would like to have back: "Yeah, it does. That's one of the games where we know we should have won." On the "target on its back" statement from Skiera: "Those non-conference teams, they really come for the ACC. It's the most competitive division. ... So no matter if you're UNC or any team like that, No. 1 seed or us, it doesn't matter. They're always going to come for your tail."

On Clemson in its fourth year at the varsity level: "They've done a great job with their recruiting and the resources that this university has given to them to be successful, obviously, to get to play. When we come here, we play in this beautiful women's lacrosse-only stadium that's truly unique. And so they've done a great job, and they attract the best talent. They're definitely a force to be reckoned with." On Clemson's defense in the second quarter: "They won the draw. That was the big, the big deal. Between the second and third quarter, they went on an eight-goal run, and I think that was largely because they scored and then went back to the draw. They got into this make it, take it style defense, and we couldn't quite stop the bleeding by having enough possessions in that second quarter, again, largely just due to our inability to win possession on the draw." On Render: "Something that I wasn't super excited about was how we ended the Duke game. ... I talked to them after that game about the importance of finishing strong. And so I was really proud of Lauren for being the spark that allowed us to finish on a little bit of a run in that game despite the score. I think that that was important, and that's what I expect of them, to finish strong and to always be a great representation of our program regardless of the score. So Lauren led that charge, and was a true leader, and she put away her 8-meters, which are the gimme shots that we needed against their defense." On Clemson's Spallina: "Spallina did a great job landing her shots. I think she made every shot she took, yeah. I think she was 4-for-4... She's just got a cannon of a shot." On ECU next on deck and if it helps to have a lower-caliber opponent next up: "It doesn't. I think that anytime we go against non-conference opponents, we feel like the target is on our back, being an ACC team. Feeling like if these non-conference teams win the game against us, it could be a season-maker for them and an absolute season-breaker for us. I actually think there's a lot of pressure on these games. We've largely done a great job taking care of our non-conference games so far this season." On the team's NCAA Tournament aspirations: "We need to win. ... I think we've got to go 4-0 and win out the rest of our season in order to make that happen."

"Coach Kristen Skiera on the team's performance: "Not great. I think we made some progress in our offense against a pesky, really good Clemson Zone. But I think the two really big weaknesses that reared its head was our defense and our draws. ... We had bigger expectations for how long we were going to compete on those aspects."

Seemed like VT eventually found a rhythm but far too little, far too late. Will send some quotes in a few

13-5 disadvantage and was 10-3 at half. Turnovers look roughly equal at first measure, but Clemson has been far more effective in transition. That, and nearly all of their looks are on target. 22 shots, 18 on goal. Tech down 14-3 w three minutes to go in third.

As with the third quarter of Duke, Clemson pulled away with a commanding second frame. 7-1, with five goals in last six minutes of the quarter. Virginia Tech hasn't scored more than one goal in a quarter throughout this game. Goals from Wallich, Render, Karman (first career goal).