BLACKSBURG - The 14th-ranked Virginia Tech women’s soccer team is set to host Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday evening at Thompson field.
Tech earned its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance (8th overall) with their selection as an at-large participant announced Monday evening. Dayton qualified for their ninth NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid on Sunday after defeating La Salle in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
The Hokies are playing Dayton for the third time in six years in the NCAA Tournament. In 2009, Tech knocked off the 23rd-ranked Flyers in the second round of the tournament, 3-1. The following year, the Hokies fell to Dayton in the first round, 3-0. Saturday night’s game will be the 11th time the two teams have squared off. The Hokies trail in the all-time series with a record of 1-9.
Tech is coming off a regular season where they posted 14-5 (5-5 ACC) record. They are well rested having had two weeks off since their last game, a regular season finale with Louisville where they picked up the 3-0 win.
Dayton enters on a three-game winning streak, having posted a 6-0-1 record in their last seven games. They are led by Ashley Campbell, who has scored 16 goals and dished six assists, and Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year Nicole Waters, who has recorded eight goals and 18 assists.
“Dayton has gotten better as the season has come,” head coach Chugger Adair said. “As it’s gone on they are getting more and more results and believing in themselves. They are coming off the A-10 championship this weekend, they have some kids who can score goals and break you down, and they’ve got a mentality where they believe in themselves. It will be a good matchup for sure.”
Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Live stats will be available online and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.
Tickets are on sale for $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for students and youth. Youth tickets are valid for anyone under the age of 18 or any student with a valid college ID. Tickets can be purchased either online or at the gate. Online purchases can be made here. These tickets can be printed at home and brought to the event to avoid lines prior to the game.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WSoccer