Hokies advance to second Elite Eight in program history

BLACKSBURG – No. 7 seed Virginia Tech advanced to the second Elite Eight in program history and the first since 2013. After a 2-1 victory over Tennessee at home in the NCAA First Round, the Hokies continued  to win, upsetting No. 2 seed UCLA, 2-1, on the road and defeating No. 3 seed Iowa, 1-0 in the Sweet 16.

The Hokies (14-5-3, 6-2-2 ACC) face off against No. 1 seed Duke (17-2-1, 9-0-1) in the NCAA Quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. Tech is one of six ACC teams represented in the Elite Eight.

The Hokies also faced Duke in 2013 in the program’s only other Elite Eight appearance and came away with a 3-0 victory to advance to the 2013 College Cup.

Head coach Chugger Adair improved Tech’s overall NCAA Tournament record to 16-13-1 this season. He is now 14-9-1 in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.

Tech's 14 wins are the most in a single season since 2015. 

Here are the best moments from the 2024 NCAA Tournament so far.

NCAA First Round
(7) Virginia Tech 2, Tennessee 1
The Hokies won their first NCAA Tournament game at Thompson Field since 2021 with a 2-1 win over Tennessee. Anna Weir scored the fastest Hokie goal in NCAA Tournament history and Natalie Mitchell delivered the game-winning goal in the 51st minute. It was the best-attended match of the season as 1,200 fans packed Thompson Field to watch Tech earn the First-Round win. The Hokies improved to 7-2-1 in all-time NCAA Tournament matches at home.

NCAA Second Round
(7) Virginia Tech 2, (2) UCLA 1
Traveling to Los Angeles to face the hosting Bruins, the Hokies advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 2-1 win over No. 2 seed UCLA – the first Sweet 16 berth for the program since 2018. After a UCLA own goal in the 51st minute, Natalie Mitchell propelled the Hokies to a 2-0 lead with her strike to the bottom left corner in the 53rd minute. Lauren Hargrove recorded five saves in the win as the Hokies won their first-ever matchup against UCLA. It was Tech’s third win ever against a seeded team in the NCAA Tournament.

(7) Virginia Tech 1, (3) Iowa 0
The Hokies became the lowest seed in this year’s field to advance to the Elite Eight with a 1-0 win over No. 3 seed Iowa. It is the program’s first Elite Eight berth since 2013. Deadlocked at 0-0 for most of the match, Allie George recorded the game winner in the 80th minute after her initial cross was sent back to her and her right-footed effort flew over Hawkeye keeper Macy Enneking’s outstretched arms and settled into the side netting. Lauren Hargrove tallied five saves in the Hokies’ 11th shutout of the season.

With the win over the Hawkeyes, Tech is now 4-1-0 against ranked opponents on the season and have held opponents to one or fewer goals in 18 of 22 matches.