FAYETTEVILLE — There will be no divided allegiance for Arkansas soccer coach Colby Hale’s family Friday in Cary, N.C.
Hale’s brother is a Virginia Tech graduate and his parents live in Virginia, but they all will have their Razorbacks gear on as Hale leads his team in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against the Hokies. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on the WatchESPN app via ACC Network Extra.
“It’s funny, my parents’ two favorite universities are Arkansas and Virginia Tech,” Hale said. “They all know what they’re wearing this weekend, though.”
Friday's Ticket
WHAT NCAA Soccer Tournament, Second Round
WHEN 1 p.m.
WHERE Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.
RECORDS Arkansas 14-4-4; Virginia Tech 10-7-3
TV WatchESPN.com via ACC Network Extra
NOTABLE Arkansas and Virginia Tech have played two common opponents, Georgia and Alabama, this season. The Razorbacks lost 3-1 at Georgia on Sept. 13 and defeated Alabama 1-0 at home on Sept. 23; Virginia Tech lost 1-0 at Alabama on Aug. 30 and played to a scoreless tie in two overtimes at Georgia on Sept. 2.
Arkansas (14-4-4) is in the round of 32 for the second time in three seasons and playing an ACC opponent in the Raleigh-Durham area for the third consecutive postseason. The Razorbacks lost to Clemson in penalty kicks in the second round two years ago at the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill, and lost at North Carolina State in the first round last November.
North Carolina is the bracket’s No. 1 seed and the site host this weekend, but the game is being played off campus about 20 miles away at WakeMed Soccer Park because the Tar Heels’ home stadium is being rebuilt.
The Razorbacks enter Friday's matchup on a hot streak. Arkansas defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 5-1 in the first round of the tournament last Friday and was runner-up at the SEC Tournament the week before after losing to LSU in penalty kicks in the championship game. Five different Razorbacks scored in the first-round win.
“It’s really awesome to see a wide range of girls scoring,” said Tori Cannata, a junior who is tied for the team lead with nine goals this season and had a goal in the 13th minute against UALR to give Arkansas a 3-0 lead. “That just shows how hungry we are and that we’re very versatile. We can do a lot of great things.”
Hale said the team had a great week of practice prior to leaving for North Carolina on Wednesday.
“Our training sessions have been as sharp as I can remember since I have been here,” said Hale, the seventh-year coach who holds the Arkansas record with 82 wins. “We trained Sunday night and (assistant coaches Sammy Scofield and Rob Donnenwirth) were out recruiting. I texted them and said, ‘OK, if we play like that we could be all right.
“After the loss in penalties at the SEC Tournament, it took us a couple of days to recover emotionally. We kept building for last Friday. We kept saying, ‘Hey, you have to peak on Friday,’ and they did a really good job of it. They were hungry and I think they were kind of out to take it out on someone.”
Virginia Tech (10-7-3) is coming off a 1-0 win at No. 4 seed Texas last Friday. Bridget Patch scored the game’s only goal in the 67th minute.
The Hokies played a difficult conference schedule and went 1-4 against ranked teams over a seven-game span from late September to mid October. Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn was All-ACC and has nine shutouts this season.
“They are good defensively and have a good goalkeeper,” Hale said. “They don’t give up a lot of goals, they play in a tough conference and they’re good. They’ve got some good wins and it will be a good test for us.”
The winner of Friday matchup will play either North Carolina (18-3-1) or Kansas (12-5-3) in the Sweet 16 on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Tar Heels and Jayhawks are scheduled to play Friday at 5 p.m.