Final game?

Earlier today Virginia Tech faced the Florida Gators for the SELC championship.  Florida had a hard path to the final winning two close games against Florida State and Clemson.  Virginia Tech on the other hand blew out both previous teams.  Both VT and Florida knew they were in for a battle.  Tech had a rough first half.  The offense turned it over almost instantly every possession, and the defense had either a slow/late slide or no slide at all.  Florida took advantage of a Hokie squad that let their guard down.  Half time score was 6-3 Florida, I believe.  After the break Tech started to fire on all cylinders scoring 5 straight to make it 8-6 VT.  Then the Gators got it back tying it at 8 a piece.  The game ended with the Hokies having the ball for the last minute and a half or so trying to catch back up to the Gators who were up 11-9.  Tech ended the game fighting and never gave up for a second.  Congratulations Gators, hey, at least we both hate FSU right?  Even though VT made it to the finals, Nationals are not guaranteed.  It is very possible that Florida and Florida State will advance.  FSU played a harder schedule and is higher ranked.  Hopefully we'll see the Hokies get called to Denver, but until the list comes out in early May I'd like to say thank you to all Hokie fans, and families.  To the team, this season has been an amazing experience, you guys are the reason I love this sport.  I look forward to another great year.  To the seniors, you have all been great teammates, leaders, and above all, friends.  Thank you all for everything.

Round Two Slaughter

The other semifinal game is still being played so I'm not sure who Virginia Tech will play, but the Hokies have advanced to the finals.  VT came into this game knowing they needed to show up or they could be the next to be upset by the Yellow Jackets.  The Hokies showed up in full force.  In the first quarter alone the Hokies managed to tie the season high for most goals allowed by GT for a whole game.  First quarter score was 10-2.  The second quarter was more of the same with a halftime score of 16-2.  The second half VT continued to roll but at a slower rate.  Final score was 22-5.  Tomorrow the Hokies will face the winner of Florida vs Clemson.  Virginia Tech has faced both teams before, they lost to Florida by one goal, and beat Clemson by five.  Tomorrow will be a battle for the title of SELC champions and an automatic bid to nationals.

Round One Results

What a first day.  Except for Virginia Tech, all other games were upsets.  Clemson beat Georgia, Georgia Tech beat Tennessee, and the big one of course, Florida beat Florida State.  Virginia Tech looked shaky at first, but got it in gear quickly.  Tech gave up the first goal of the game, but then answered back with two to close out the first quarter 2-1.  The second quarter was better for the Hokies as they finished the half with a score of 7-2.  The refs were calling lots of penalties all around, and there was even a 5 vs 3 situation for Wake Forest, but the Hokies managed to kill of all three penalties without giving up a goal.  The third and fourth quarters were played pretty well by Tech and ended with a score of 14-5.  The Wake Forest goalie faced many more shots than the Hokie goalies, and all made some excellent saves.  If the weather permits, Virginia Tech will play an underrated Georgia Tech team tomorrow afternoon.

Hokies are Headed to Atlanta

Virginia Tech closed out their season this weekend with games at ECU and at NC State.  ECU was up first and this was expected to be a blow out.  The starters for the Hokies were sat before too long and the score continued to rise.  The Hokies were up by 12 at halftime if my memory serves me correctly.  The third quarter was a horrid performance by Tech giving up 5 goals and scoring just 5 to match.  The final score was officially 22-8.  Although that may show up on the scoreboard as a blow out the Hokies played pretty lackasdaisically and showed a lot of holes in their game.

Earlier today Tech played NC State.  This was an important game for both teams.  This was the last game of the regular season for each team.  If NC State won they were going to Atlanta, if they lost, end of the road.  The Wolfpack came out fired up and ready to take it to the Hokies.  Just a week before NC State had beaten a tough Tennessee team by more than the Hokies had.  NC State got a quick first goal and it was clear the Hokies were taken by surprise.  Tech fired back soon and took the lead.  At the end of the first quarter it was a tie game.  End of the half the Hokies lead by 4 or 5.  It has been the Hokies' habit this year to cool down after they get a lead and let the other team back in the game.  Fortunately for Virginia Tech this wasn't the case this game.  They're defense tightened up, they're goalie made some good saves (and a couple nice outlet passes to create fast breaks too), and they're offense started picking apart the good NC State goalie.  Final tally was 16-7.  Next week Virginia Tech will be going down to Atlanta for the SELC tournament.  Check back for updates on who they play and how it went.

Virginia Tech Remains Undefeated At Home

On Saturday the Hokies played Clemson, a team they lost to in the Fall.  Virginia Tech knew they had something to prove.  Clemson also knew they had a target on their backs and came to play.  The Hokies were in the lead the whole time, but never pulled away.  Both defenses were playing well, and both goalies were making important saves.  At half time the score was only 3-2 Virginia Tech.  In the 3rd quarter VT started to pull away scoring 4 to make it 7-3.  After that it returned to a back and forth game.  The final score was 11-6

On Sunday Tech had a divisional game against South Carolina.  If the Hokies lost they could pretty much kiss both the SELC and national tournament goodbye.  South Carolina had beaten Pitt the day before so Tech knew they had to really take it to um.  At halftime it was 9-4.  A 5 goal lead is just enough to make a team relax and let the other team back in the game; sometimes.  Luckily for the Hokies they didn't slow down one bit, in fact, they actually picked it up and looked sharper.  The final tally was 20-6.  Next weekend the Hokies finish out the regular season with away games at ECU and NC State.

Pitt fought but fell

Virginia Tech scored early and often.  After jumping out to a 5-0 start the Hokies started to slow down.  Pitt fought back and started to make a come back.  At halftime the Hokies were up 7-4.  Virginia Tech went into the half knowing they could play better, but definitely with momentum.  The VT offense scored 3 goals in the last 40 seconds of the first half.  The rest of the game was back and forth.  Tech had multiple 10 second possessions where they would clear it, run down, shoot, and not back up the shot.  Now, Tech's transition game is good, but there were too many careless turnovers.  Tech outscored the Panthers 7-5 in the second half making the final score, 14-9.  Hokies play Clemson tomorrow and South Carolina on Sunday.  Check back in for those recaps.