Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ Tennessee @ Virginia Tech 11/15 Friday 7PM Blacksburg VA ⚽️ NCAA TOURNAMENT First Round ESPN+

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Tennessee soccer earns 4th straight NCAA Tournament bid, will face Virginia Tech in first round​

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Head coach Joe Kirt takes the field for a match against Lipscomb at Regal Soccer Stadium. Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024.
Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon


Tennessee soccer received a bid in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, as announced by the NCAA Monday. The Lady Vols will take on No. 7 seed Virginia Tech in the first round.

The Lady Vols are an unseeded team for the second straight year and will play every round on the road unless there are several upsets.


With a win, the Lady Vols would take on either California Baptist or No. 2 seed UCLA in the second round. Last season, Tennessee would have gone to Los Angeles for the second round, but the Bruins were upset in the first round.

Virginia Tech, Tennessee’s first opponent, finished the year 11-5-3, going 6-2-2 in ACC play. The Hokies enter the NCAA Tournament on a two-game losing streak, closing out the regular season with a loss to Virginia and losing to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.


Tennessee finished the season 9-6-4, going 3-4-3 in the SEC. The Lady Vols started the season with several strong non-conference results, including a draw against No. 9 UCLA and a win over No. 5 Memphis. Tennessee started the conference schedule with a 2-0-2 record.

Then, the Lady Vols started to struggle, going winless in their next five contests. They needed a win at Florida to make the NCAA Tournament, and a Sarah Greiner goal kept their season alive. Tennessee won its first-round contest over Kentucky before falling to No. 2 Mississippi State in overtime.

Last season, Tennessee needed the extra 20 minutes to get a 1-0 win over Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols lost in the second round, 2-1, to Nebraska, ending their 2023 season.

In Joe Kirt’s first season as head coach in 2022, the Lady Vols hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. They lost to Xavier, 4-1, in extra time in Knoxville.

The Lady Vols finished the season No. 45 in the NCAA’s RPI calculation, the ninth-highest RPI in the SEC. Their 12 points in conference play placed Tennessee ninth in the conference standings.
 
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From VA Tech

Women's SoccerNovember 11, 2024

Hokies punch ticket to NCAA Tournament, will host Tennessee on Friday​

Virginia Tech earns its 14th trip to the NCAA Tournament.

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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech earned a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship – its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and 10th under head coach Chugger Adair.

The seventh-seeded Hokies (11-5-3, 6-2-2 ACC) will host Tennessee (9-6-4, 3-4-3 SEC) at Thompson Field on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. It is the third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons for the Hokies.

Tech will host an NCAA Tournament first round match for the first time since 2021 when the Hokies defeated Ohio State, 3-1.

Virginia Tech is coming off its best ACC season since 2013 as the team earned the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Hokies, who earned 20 points in the conference standings, defeated No. 6 Florida State for the first time in program history. They also earned the program’s first Top 10 road win since 2012 with a 2-0 win at No. 7 Notre Dame. With their current ranking of No. 12, the Hokies earned their best United Soccer Coaches ranking since 2015.

One of the best defenses in the ACC, Tech’s 0.74 goals allowed average ranks second among ACC schools. The Hokies recorded 10 shutouts and held opponents to one or fewer goals in 15 of 19 matches.

Virginia Tech is 13-13-1 in all-time NCAA Tournament games and is 7-6-0 in all-time first round matches.

The Hokies and Tennessee have never faced off in the NCAA Tournament and the series is tied 1-1-1 in all-time matchups. Tech is 1-0-1 against the Lady Volunteers at home.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, starting at $5 for Virginia Tech students and youth and $10 for the public.
 
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