BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team will play host to the first NCAA Tournament Second Round match in program history on Friday evening, when the top-seeded Hokies welcome No. 12 West Virginia to Blacksburg for a 6 p.m. contest.
Last Friday evening, the Hokies downed UMBC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 2-0. Tech got goals from junior Shannon Mayrose and senior Ashley Manning on the evening, as the Hokies advanced past the opening round for the third time in five seasons.
The Hokies also held the Terriers to one shot on the day, the lowest total for an opposing team since Appalachian State did not register a single shot in a 4-0 Hokie win on Sept. 15, 2011.
Tech sits at 17-4-2 after the opening round victory, having set a new program record for victories in a single season. Tech has also scored 49 goals this year, making it the highest-scoring Hokie offense in school history, breaking last season’s record of 45 goals.
Senior Jazmine Reeves leads the way on offense for the Hokies, having racked up 10 goals this season. She is followed closely by Murielle Tiernan, whose goal in the ACC Semifinals was her ninth of the season, and Ashley Meier, who has scored eight times.
Junior Kelsey Loupee now has nine assists in 2013, most on the team and tied for the third-most in a single season at Virginia Tech.
West Virginia enters Friday’s second-round contest after downing Rutgers on penalty kicks during last Saturday’s NCAA First Round. The two sides battled to a scoreless draw before the Mountaineers advanced 3-0 on PKs. WVU is now 16-3-3 on the year after capturing the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Frances Silva has led the way on offense this season for the Mountaineers, racking up 15 goals and 13 assists, both team highs. Silva leads a group of 10 WVU players who have combined to score 47 goals this year. She also sits 14th in the country, talling 1.95 points-per-game.
Sara Keane has played all but 15 minutes in goal for the Mountaineers this season, tallying 66 saves on her way to a 1.01 goals-against-average.
The Mountaineers own a 3-1 lead in the all-time series between the two sides, having won three straight contests from 1999-2002. However, the Hokies captured the most recent decision, downing WVU in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, 1-0, in Morgantown. That victory was the Hokies’ first of the tournament, en route to the Sweet 16.
No. 9 Santa Clara and No. 25 Boston University will face off in Friday’s first second-round match, with the winners of both contests facing off in Sunday’s third-round match at 1 p.m.
Live stats will be available for both matches and the action will be streamed live on ESPN3.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WSoccer).