Virginia Tech Senior Forward Marika Gray (left) and Vanderbilt Defender Claire Romaine (right) fight for the ball late in the second half.
With just four games left in the season, it has become clear that if the women’s soccer team hopes to save its season, it will have to do so on the road.
The Hokies came into this week facing an entirely different situation than they find themselves in right now.
Wins against Maryland and Boston College seemed to have turned the corner for Virginia Tech’s season. However, the Hokies failed to take advantage of playing on home turf this weekend, tying Wake Forest 3-3 and falling to Duke in a lopsided 3-0 affair.
The two games put Tech at just 2-3-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference — far from the 4-2 record the Hokies had last season at this point in the schedule.
One of the biggest issues in the past week has surprisingly come on the defensive end. A defense that gave up just three goals total against North Carolina, BC and Maryland surrendered six in the last two contests.
“I think that it is just a lack in communication,” said Kelly Lynch, senior defender. “We have to get better at talking with each other and stay organized.”
Out of the four remaining games in the regular season, three of Tech’s games are on the road. The Hokies play at Miami, Florida State and Clemson before wrapping up their schedule at home against NC State.
In 2009, the Hokies were 3-2 against those four teams, with both losses coming to Florida State — one in the ACC Tournament.
It’s likely the Hokies’ season could very well be decided by the time the Wolfpack comes to town Oct. 31, and how the Hokies perform on the road will be the key factor in whether they make it to their third straight NCAA tournament.
In order to get back to the tournament, the Hokies will have to improve their play when away from home. Although Tech’s last away game was the 2-1 victory over BC, they are still just 2-5 on the road this season.
“I don’t think it’s an issue at all. We have struggled on the road before, but we need to play to our strengths and we can’t think about playing on the road being a factor,” said Kelly Conheeney, sophomore midfielder.
Conheeney’s lack of production during the conference schedule has also been a problem the Hokies have had trouble overcoming.
A version of this article appeared in the Oct 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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