November 7, 2013
Fourth-seeded Hokies set to face top-ranked Virginia in ACC Semis
Tech aims for first ACC Championship berth since 2008
Virginia Tech Women's Soccer

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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team will play in its first Atlantic Coast Conference semifinal since 2009 on Friday afternoon, as the fourth-seeded Hokies take on top-seeded Virginia at 5:30 p.m. in Cary, N.C.

Tech will join the Cavaliers, as well as Florida State and North Carolina, the second and third seeds, respectively, at WakeMed Soccer Park for the second round of the ACC Tournament.

The winners of both semifinals will meet in the ACC Championship on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. to play for the conference title and the attached automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

This past Sunday, the Hokies earned a berth in the semifinals with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

After Tech fell behind early, freshman Candace Cephers scored her first collegiate goal in the 57th minute to tie the match, before senior Jazmine Reeves headed home a goal in the 109th minute to seal the victory.

With the quarterfinal victory, the Hokies are now 15-3-2 on the season, leaving them just one victory shy of Virginia Tech’s all-time record for wins in a single season. Tech has also scored 43 goals this season, currently just two goals short of the program record for goals in a season, set last year at 45.

Three Hokies have led the way on offense in 2013, as senior Jazmine Reeves, sophomore Ashley Meier and freshman Murielle Tiernan have all scored eight times for Tech. Junior Kelsey Loupee has chipped in seven assists to lead the Hokies.

Senior Dayle Colpitts has continued her stellar career in goal for Tech, racking up 57 saves and posting a 0.70 goals-against-average across her 20 starts.

The top-seeded Cavaliers enter Friday’s contest as the No. 1 team in every major national poll. Virginia advanced to the ACC semifinal by way of a 6-1 romp over eighth-seeded Maryland on Sunday afternoon. The victory moves the Cavaliers to 20-0-0 on the year, after they went 13-0-0 in ACC play.

Morgan Brian, who was named to the All-ACC First Team on Thursday morning, has led the Cavalier offense this year, scoring 12 goals and racking up 13 assists so far. Fellow All-ACC First Team member Makenzy Doniak has tallied 14 goals as well.

Morgan Stearns, who has started 15 of Virginia’s 20 matches in goal, has maintained a 0.50 goals-against average while making 28 saves this year.

Last week, the Hokies wrapped up their regular season with a trip to Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 31. Tech dropped a tough 2-0 decision to the Cavaliers that was sealed by a 90th-minute Virginia goal. That contest gave Virginia a 13-2-1 lead in the all-time series.

The last time the two squads met in the ACC Tournament was in 2008, when the Hokies battled Virginia to a 1-1 tie before advancing on penalty kicks, 2-1.

Kickoff for Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN3 and live stats will be available. Links to both can be found above.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WSoccer).

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