BLACKSBURG, Va. - Nine contests against teams that earned spots in the 2013 NCAA Tournament - including four that advanced to the quarterfinals - and nine matches at Thompson Field highlight the 2014 Virginia Tech women’s soccer schedule, as announced by head coach Chugger Adair on Tuesday.
The Hokies, fresh off their first trip to the NCAA College Cup, will travel to Marshall on Aug. 14 for a 6 p.m. exhibition before returning to Blacksburg to kick off their regular season slate.
VCU travels to Thompson Field for the first time since 2005 for a 7 p.m. matchup on Aug. 22 as Tech takes on the Rams in its first season opener.
Two days later, the Hokies will embark on a three-match road trip, beginning with a 2 p.m. matchup at Davidson on Aug. 24. Tech then heads to Ohio for contests at Akron (Aug. 29) and Ohio State (Aug. 31). The Buckeyes, who Tech has faced just once in program history (2004), were 10-7-3 last season and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The following weekend, the Hokies will play host to a four-match, three-day event that will feature a pair of matches on both Sept. 5 and Sept. 7. Tech will face off against Georgetown, a 2013 NCAA Tournament selection, on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., before taking on UNC Wilmington at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Fellow ACC member Wake Forest will also be at Thompson Field for the weekend and will play UNC Wilmington on Friday at 5 p.m. and Georgetown at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The Hokies will wrap up their non-conference slate with a trio of matches over a six-day span. After a trip to Longwood on Sept. 9, Tech will welcome Buffalo to Blacksburg on Sept. 12 before traveling to East Carolina for a Sept. 14 contest.
Three consecutive home matches will kick off the ACC schedule, as Clemson (Sept. 19, 6 p.m.), Notre Dame (Sept. 25, 7 p.m.) and Duke (Sept. 28, 5 p.m.) all make the trip to Thompson Field. Notre Dame and Duke both reached the NCAA Tournament in 2013, with the Blue Devils falling to the Hokies 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
Tech then heads south for a three-match road trip, as the Hokies travel to North Carolina on Oct. 3, before continuing to Florida for contests at Miami and fellow NCAA College Cup participant Florida State on Oct. 9 and 12, respectively.
The Hokies play host to Wake Forest on Oct. 18 and travel to Syracuse on Oct. 23, before wrapping up their home schedule against in-state rival Virginia at 5 p.m. on Oct. 26. A trip to Louisville on Nov. 1 will conclude Tech’s regular season.
The ACC Tournament, which has been reduced from eight teams to four, will be held at UNC Greensboro on Nov. 7 and 9. The 2014 NCAA Tournament is scheduled to kick off on Nov. 14, with the 2014 Women’s College Cup slated for Dec. 5 and 7 at FAU Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
“We’re very excited about our schedule this fall,” Adair said. “We think we have very good balance in our non-conference schedule, with quality teams and challenging opposition throughout the season. In addition, the ACC schedule will be a great challenge for us, as it is year-in and year-out.”
The ACC, considered the strongest women’s soccer conference in the country, sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2013, advancing all eight into the third round.
The Hokies lose just three starters (forward Jazmine Reeves, defender Taylor Antolino and goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts) from last year’s 19-5-3 squad that finished the year ranked No. 4, reached the ACC Championship for the first time since 2008 and made the program’s first trip to the College Cup.
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