The Virginia Tech Hokies have seen their olympic sports teams improve since joining the ACC and that has been headlined by the rise of the women's soccer team under the leadership of Chugger Adair.
Adair has brought in some great players along with doing a great job at developing those players into fantastic teams. Adair has taken the Hokies to the College Cup and might be able to lead the Hokies to their first ever national title in any sport in the near future.
That is definitely a possibility next season with the talent that is returning headlined by star midfielder and three-year starter Ashley Meier.
Meier has been a star for the Hokies in the tough ACC which has been the best women's soccer conference while Meier has been at Virginia Tech. Meier has been named to the All-ACC Second Team three times, and has the talent to be an All-American as a senior with a strong season in the center of midfield.
Meier's strong play throughout her collegiate career has drawn the attention of scouts for U.S. Soccer with Meier joining the U.S. U-23 squad this summer for a few weeks and even receiving some game action. Meier seems likely to make a return to the U.S. U-23 squad in the future and with some players running out of eligibility at that level, Meier may be able to earn a starting spot.
Meier's collegiate success also lines her up to play professionally in the United States and be taken very high up in the 2016 NWSL Draft given that she has another strong season for the Hokies. Meier seems a likely candidate to be a captain her senior season while she could also go down as the best player for the Hokies depending on how the 2015 season goes, especially if the Hokies can make another deep NCAA Tournament run.
There is no doubt that Ashley Meier and the Hokies' sights in the fall will be set on trying to win Virginia Tech's first national title in any sport. Meier's experience with the national team this past May and June will definitely be valuable for the Hokies in the tough ACC when going against other national powerhouses like Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida State.
With the United States set to play in the Women's World Cup final Sunday, you have to start wondering if we might just see Meier on the team in 2019 or 2023. Meier's chances aren't great, but she has set herself up on a path to potentially have a shot at playing for the U.S. National Team in a future World Cup down the road with a career in the NWSL likely ahead for the senior midfielder from Ohio.
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