Virginia Tech Women’s Soccer Rolls Past James Madison In Home Opener

In its home opener at Thompson Field on Thursday night, Virginia Tech women’s soccer rolled past James Madison in a 3-0 victory.

“We wanted to try to come out on the front foot and we did,” Tech head coach Chugger Adair told Tech Sideline afterwards. “They’re a good team, they knock the ball around and we wanted to make sure that we could disrupt their rhythm going forward. I thought we did for the most part.”

The Hokies (2-0-1), who dominated possession (56%) and just about controlled the game from start to finish, struck first in the seventh minute. Sophie Maltese had a sweet feed to Taylor Bryan just outside the six-yard box. Bryan turned on a dime and slotted it past the keeper in the bottom corner.

“Me and Sophie already have really good chemistry on and off the field,” Bryan said, “so once she got the ball, her first look is always going to be me, and she saw me, I saw her and I knew where the defender was. I knew if I turned, it was going to be an easy goal. …

“I feel like even in our past games, we were able to see that once we finally got that first goal, everybody’s able to take a deep breath, everybody starts to play their game and we’re playing how we should.”

Natalie Mitchell and Anna Weir added to the lead in the second half. Mitchell was brought down in the box in the 60th minute and converted the subsequent spot kick. Eighteen minutes later, a Tech counterattack caught JMU goalkeeper Alexandra Blom off her line and Weir chipped her from around 30 yards out.

⚽️ 1st Career Goal for @annaweir_14

Hokies 3️⃣: Dukes 0️⃣ #Hokies 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZGxnjkCGX0

— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) August 25, 2023

“Anna’s been doing so well,” Bryan said of her attacking partner. “She’s been decisive every time she’s gotten the ball. I wasn’t worried; I saw her get the ball, she’s one-on-one with the keeper. She does it in practice.

“Honestly, she came to college ready. … She plays well, she plays at the speed that we need her to play and she’s very mature on the field.

Hokies keeper Alia Skinner made four saves, three of which came in the second half. The Dukes (2-1-0) only had seven shots, four on goal, and struggled to generate much. When they did get their chances, they were snuffed out almost immediately by Tech’s back four of Eden Skyers, Maysen Nelson, Victoria Haugen and Allie George.

That’s three clean sheets to open the 2023 campaign for the Hokies after a 3-0 victory at Butler and a goalless draw at Indiana. Adair wasn’t thrilled with the performances in the two road games — “I don’t think we played that well,” he said — but the defense didn’t put a foot wrong in the first few outings.

“I think the clean sheet was great,” Adair said. “I think Butler was pretty good in the first half against us, we were better in the second half, which turned the game. Indiana was a very bland, Sunday afternoon, hot day game. It wasn’t a great game. We didn’t get rhythm.

“Tonight, we got rhythm. We knocked the ball around, we worked on our shape, we were sharper. I think the ladies liked being at home at Thompson Field with a great crowd here tonight. It was a wonderful environment for the kids to play in and I was happy with that. We’re going to build off of it as we move forward.

Virginia Tech had 10 corners against James Madison, and though it didn’t convert one, it spent much of the game in the attacking third. The midfield facilitated well — the trio of Emma Pelkowski, Lauren Gogal and Mitchell forced JMU into tough areas defensively, helping the Hokies win back possession — with the occasional giveaway. Most importantly, Tech didn’t let the Dukes get comfortable.

The Hokies’ attention now turns to their road match at No. 20 Georgetown on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FloSports). The Hoyas, who made the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, are off to a 2-0-1 start and are sound, according to Adair.

“Tactically, they’re very good,” Adair said. “They’re always bought into what Dave [Nolan] does, he’s a good coach, he does a great job. We’ve seen them play a couple of different systems on video. … It’s a good group [and] we’ll have to try to get a very difficult road win.”

Box Score: Virginia Tech 3, James Madison 0