Virginia Tech women’s soccer releases tough 2015 schedule

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Via Virginia Tech) – Virginia Tech head women’s soccer coach Chugger Adair has announced the 2015 schedule, a challenging slate that features six teams that competed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

The 10-match home slate is highlighted by a game on Oct. 22 against defending national and ACC champion, Florida State. The Hokies will be working towards earning their eighth consecutive NCAA berth.

“We are excited about our upcoming schedule,” Adair said. “We have challenging games throughout both the non-conference and our ACC matches. We have a number of strong out of conference games highlighted by Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgetown as well as in-state rival James Madison. These are all teams that will compete for berths in the NCAA tournament.

Following a home scrimmage with Marshall, the Hokies open the season in the Indiana Tournament on August 21 and 23, as they travel to Bloomington to face host Indiana and 2014 NCAA team, West Virginia.

The home opener is the following week, as James Madison comes to Thompson Field on August 28 for a 6 p.m. match. That game is the first of a four-match home stand, that will also see Tennessee, Longwood and UNC Greensboro come to Blacksburg. Tech is back on the road for a Sept. 6 game at VCU, before returning home for a game against Davidson on Sept. 10.

The Hokies have one more non-conference game before the start of ACC action, a tough one at Georgetown on Sept. 13. The Hokies defeated the Hoyas, 4-3, at Penn State last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, in addition to a 6-1 regular season home victory by the Hokies.

The always tough ACC campaign begins on Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Hokies host perennial national power North Carolina at 7 p.m., at Thompson Field. Following a trip to Raleigh to face NC State on Sept. 24, the Hokies return home to face Syracuse on Sept. 27.

“In ACC competition, we open up with traditional powerhouse UNC at home and finish with a difficult road trip at Notre Dame,” Adair added. “In between these matches, we play the gauntlet on difficult ACC matches with road games at Duke, Wake Forest and Clemson, consecutively.

To open October, Tech begins at three-game road swing at Duke on Oct. 4, followed by a visit to Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest. The trip ends on Oct. 11, as the Hokies travel to play 2014 NCAA team, Clemson, on the Tigers’ home pitch.

When the Hokies return to Thompson Field on Oct. 17 to host Miami, it will begin a three-game home stand. Next on the slate will be defending national champion Florida State on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. The stand will conclude with a 1 p.m. game on Oct. 25 against Pittsburgh.

The regular season concludes on Oct. 30, as Tech travels to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame, who advanced to the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. In a quirk in the ACC schedule, the Hokies will not face national runner-up and traditional rival Virginia this season.

The post season begins on Nov. 6, as the top four teams in the ACC will play in the league semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The finals will be played on Nov. 8, at the same site. The Hokies will look to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive year. The 2015 College Cup will be played Dec. 4 and 6, back in Cary at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

“Our home schedule consists of Pitt, Syracuse, Miami and our newest rivals, defending national champs FSU,” Adair concluded. “These are all great matches and a huge challenge, as the ACC is the strongest conference in the nation. It sets up another exciting year for VT Women’s Soccer. “