Red Raiders to Face No. 12 Virginia in Waco

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech is set for its first taste of NCAA Second Round action since 2015, preparing for what is sure to be a good match in Waco against No. 12 Virginia. Both possession-oriented teams enter the weekend after comfortable wins in the First Round; Tech routed No. 21 Princeton, 3-0, while Virginia moved past Monmouth, 2-0.

After a string of tough results to begin the first half of Big 12 season in late September, the Red Raiders have turned it on, playing their most complete soccer of the year en route to blanking six conference opponents heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Tom Stone believes his squad has finally put it all together.

"We've been mature all year in the back and have been growing and developing in the front, and in the last four or five games our forwards have come out of their shells a bit and they've got a great attitude in front of goal," he said.

Perhaps the most welcome attitude in front of goal comes from Kirsten Davis, from whom Tech was looking for more scoring come the season's halfway point. The sophomore has become the true finisher the team knew she was and has been leading Tech's offensive production. She has either scored or assisted six of the Red Raiders' last nine goals dating back to Tech's win over Kansas State on Oct. 12. She is one of just three players in the Big 12 to have tallied 20 or more points this season.

"We have to do whatever it takes to keep playing," Davis said after scoring once and assisting on Tech's other two goals against Princeton. "I think that motivates me knowing where we were last year compared to now. It's just a whole different level."

Joined by Jade King, who leads the team in goals with eight, Davis and the rest of the Red Raiders will have their work cut out for them in a matchup with Virginia. The Cavaliers have set the standard in possession-style soccer on the east coast and are regularly in the hunt for national titles.

"It's exciting to be playing an ACC team and a team with this much history," Stone said. "We've been down this road before – we played Florida State when they were number one in the country our first year in the tournament [in 2012] and lost 3-2 in overtime. We've always risen to these types of occasions."

King finds confidence in the Red Raider attack, especially considering that 11 different players have found the net this year – six of them multiple times.

"We have a lot of different people being able to score this season and that's really good for us," King said. "We have a lot of offensive threats. I think any time we're able to put goals in the net and keep goals out of ours, it gives us confidence for the next opponent. We're just trying to get that to roll into Friday."

First touch for Friday's match in Waco is set for 3:00 p.m. It will be streamed on Facebook Live courtesy of Baylor. Follow @TexasTechSoccer on Twitter for updates on links and tickets.

Red Raiders to Face No. 12 Virginia in Waco

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Players Mentioned

Kirsten Davis

Jade King