Women's Soccer Dominantes First Round of NCAA Tournament

Ryan Duvall

Staff Writer

November 12, 2021

BLACKSBURG - On a rather frigid Friday, Virginia Tech faced off against Ohio State in a first round bout of the 2021 Women’s Soccer Championship.

Thompson Field was electric, with students shaking the stands the entire night. But there was no moment more exciting than when the Hokies finally struck a goal 11 minutes in, after dominating the Buckeyes’ side of the field, getting chance after chance until a shot connected.

Emily Gray, one of the Hokies senior leaders, slid down into the ground, as she netted a shot to the bottom left side of the goal, putting Tech up 1-0 and giving the fans in Blacksburg something to really cheer for.

Gray, who left her print all over this one, facilitated the offense with both a goal and an assist, which enriched her name among the all-time soccer greats at Virginia Tech.

The All-ACC midfielder continued to shoot up career lists, moving into sole possession of second in all-time points and assists, with 78 and 24 respectively. Gray also earned a share of fourth place on the all-time goals list, with 27, and fifth in the single-season rankings, having scored her 12th on the year.

When asked about his star senior, head coach Chugger Adair had nothing but praise.

“Emily Gray has been awesome, she got the first goal tonight, the assist on the third goal, and she’s just someone who deserves any accolades she gets,” Adair said.

The goal carried Virginia Tech into halftime with a 1-0 lead. However the Buckeyes came out of the gates in the second half on a tear, going stride for stride with the Hokies and evening up the score after an Emma Sears goal just one minute in.

The two teams remained squared away at one for the next 2o minutes. They seemed much more on par with each other until the Hokies scored once more in the 68th minute, taking a lead that would last the remainder of the match.

This time it was Tori Powell, who scored her eighth goal of the year. It came off a cross that was headed by Powell to her teammate, who then found the sophomore near the net, where she easily tapped one in.

But, the Hokies were not done yet, scoring one more in the final minutes to solidify their lead. Emma Steirgerwald was the third goal scorer for VT, who exploded late to close the door in the 83rd.

The match would end with a 3-1 finish in favor of the Hokies (12-5-2), who advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018.

Friday night’s win, while lopsided, could have been a blowout. Tech had 19 shots, and was only able to get three by Buckeye goalkeeper Bailey Kolinski, who seemed to be a brick wall in goal.

If not for Kolinski’s ten saves Ohio State could have been out of this one much faster. However, Coach Adair is not too concerned about all the missed opportunities with 16 missed shots.

“I’m going home proud of the group, proud of the effort, and I’m starting to think about Arkansas,” Adair said.

And after Arkansas 5-1 win over Northwestern State, it’ll be the Hokies next opponent in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which could be a daunting task.

The Razorbacks are the No. 2 seed in Virginia Tech’s region of the bracket, which is well deserved considering the Razorbacks went 16-4 and are ranked as the seventh best team in the country.

While these two teams may play in different conferences they are no stranger to one another. Gray and Steirgerwald, both seniors, were on the team that knocked off Arkansas in this same exact situation back in 2018.

“We played them my freshman year and we know they’re a fast, athletic, typical SEC team. I think we’re ready for the dogfight so bring it on,” said Steirgerwld.

Virginia Tech will travel to Fayetteville next Friday for the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The time and channel are yet to be determined.