Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

42 Inside Hokie Sports Costa Rica ranks high on many people’s list of vacation destinations, with its abundance of perfect weather, beautiful beaches and amazing rain forests. It provides visitors with all sorts of opportunities for exotic adventures. Coaches, players and support staff in the Virginia Tech women’s soccer program enjoyed all the Central American country had to offer during their visit in late May, while also mixing in some training and two exhibition games. Now, they prepare for another adventure—one slightly less exotic, but potentially so much more rewarding. Tech began pursuit of an ACC crown and another NCAA Championship bid on Aug. 22 with a match against Liberty. That contest marked the first step toward continuing the momentum established last season when the Hokies beat Louisville on the final weekend of the regular season to qualify for the ACC Championship and then later reached the NCAA’s Sweet 16 after upsets of Texas and Arkansas. “I wasn’t surprised,” Tech head coach Chugger Adair said. “Our team had it in us, and throughout the year, we saw bits and pieces of some The Hokies received a bid to the NCAA Championship in 2018 and advanced to the Sweet 16, and with most of their roster returning, they enter this fall fully expecting to make a return trip to NCAA postseason play by Jimmy Robertson TECH W OMEN’S S OCCER READY TO START NEW STREAK Kelsey Irwin