The No. 7 Virginia Tech Hokies (12-5-3) took down the Tennessee Lady Volunteers (9-7-4) 2-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in front of a rowdy home crowd at Thompson Field.
With this win, the Hokies notch their first victory in the NCAA Tournament since knocking off the Ohio State Buckeyes in Blacksburg in 2021. The Hokies used that past win as motivation to end the drought.
“We actually showed them some video of the last game we hosted at Thompson Field in the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State,” Virginia Tech head coach Chugger Adair said. “We ended up doing up 1-0, but I think we had seven or eight chances in the first 15 minutes that were quality chances. We tried to build off that and tried to put that into their minds, and I think they did a great job with that tonight.”
It is safe to say the Hokies found quality chances.
Tech burst out of the gates to start the game against UT as sophomore forward Anna Weir made Hokie history and scored the fastest goal in VT’s program history in the NCAA Tournament. Weir netted the game's first goal in the second minute, launching a ball to the bottom left of Tennessee’s goal off her powerful right foot.
“We talked about it; we wanted to start fast, and it was something that was one of our keys to the match, set a tone at the beginning and play with a little bit of an edge,” Adair said.
Weir snatched the record from former Hokie Murielle Tiernan, who made history in 2014 when she scored Tech’s first goal of the night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Georgetown.
However, Tech could not enjoy that moment for long because Tennessee defender Kennedy Price fired back with a goal of her own in the 5fifth minute, sliding the ball past Hokies keeper Lauren Hargrove off her right foot.
Price’s goal silenced the VT fans at Thompson Field and refocused the Hokies on the field, who were visibly elated after taking the lead in the opening two minutes.
“I was disappointed that we gave up a goal the first time they really entered our box,” Adair said. “I don't think we did enough. We were not in good shape and didn't adjust well to that play, but we will live and learn from that, but our girls settled into the game which is good.”
While the Hokies recovered and dominated the remainder of the first half — leading UT in shots (5-1) and corner kicks (3-0) — the box score didn't reflect the 1-1 margin at the break.
Tech took their halftime break to reset and enter the second half with the same energy it started the game with. After returning to the field for the second half of play, VT huddled up and hammered in the idea that this could be the final 45 minutes of its season.
“(At halftime) we always take a deep breath together,” junior forward/midfielder Natalie Mitchell said. “So it's like one, two, and then breathe to settle into the game. Today, it was like we knew what to do. Let's just keep going, get some quality chances, and win this game.”
In the 51st minute, just six minutes into the second half, Mitchell decided to take matters into her own hands when she jumped a UT defender's pass in the Hokies' attacking third.
Mitchell took two dribbles to the top of the 18-yard box before firing a shot low and away to the bottom left corner of the goal. Tennessee’s goalkeeper Cayden Norris shifted to prepare for Mitchell’s boot, but she was not prepared for a deflection off her defender's foot that tipped the ball over Norris’ head into the back of the net.
“There have been a lot of chances this year for me that just haven't rolled the right way, and to finally get one in a game that really meant something was like, okay, it was coming this whole time,” Mitchell said.
The crowd in Blacksburg erupted as players and fans alike understood that Tech was a mere 39 minutes away from returning to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. However, rather than playing more conservatively and trying to keep away from the Lady Vols, the Hokies never took their foot off the gas.
Tech more than doubled its shot count from the first half in the final 45 minutes of the game, recording 13 shots directed at Norris in the second half, constantly keeping UT on its toes.
“We were looking at how we close the game out,” Adair said. Typically, you may go more defensive, but we were playing so well going forward that we were creating chances and keeping (UT) on their heels and not allowing them to continue their attack. That attack helped us defend and close the game out.”
The Hokies’ second-half attack iced the game against the Lady Vols, who struggled to find scoring opportunities against Tech’s relentless offensive attack. The maroon and orange finished the contest with 18 shots to UT’s four and were awarded a handful more corner kicks (7) than the Lady Vols (2).
Now, after No. 2 UCLA defeated California Baptist 2-1 in double overtime, the Hokies must prepare to travel to the West Coast to take on the Bruins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, looking to pull off an upset to keep their season going.
