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Back In Black - Rachel Nuzzolese & Wake Forest Were Back To Their Best In A 2-1 Win Over Duke

Duke 1 (DeCesare 67′) – 2 (Marshall 27′, Nuzzolese 51′) Wake Forest

Rachel Nuzzolese’s tenth goal of the season proved decisive as Wake Forest reached their second straight ACC Tournament final with a 2-1 upset of Duke on Friday night. The Demon Deacons drew first blood in the twenty-seventh minute when Rachel Nuzzolese’s corner kick was nodded on by Riley Ridgik before being headed home by Kim Marshall for her second goal of the year. Kim DeCesare would nearly equalize shortly after but Alisha Woodson headed off the line to maintain her side’s lead. Duke would be foiled again just before the break when the offside flag robbed Natasha Anasi who had met Nicole Lipp’s free kick with a leaping volley that had evaded Aubrey Bledsoe in the Wake goal. The Demon Deacons would take advantage right out of the break when Jackie Logue served into the box for Jackie McSally who left the ball for a wide open Nuzzolese whose near post finish left Tara Campbell rooted to the spot. Duke would get themselves back into it with a little over twenty minutes to play, Kaitlyn Kerr’s cross being headed home by DeCesare to cut the lead to 2-1. Kelly Cobb would come achingly close to bringing Duke all the way back with thirty seconds left, but her chip of the onrushing Bledose went fractionally wide. This was a big win for Wake Forest after having been beaten by Duke during the regular season. After looking off the pace towards the end of the ACC season, the Demon Deacons have come alive in the postseason and again look like the team that wowed so many early on this year. Rachel Nuzzolese’s revival in form late has been key these past two matches, including her service on corner kicks, which Wake is deadly at. This team’s set piece proficiency is going to be a big weapon in the NCAA Tournament when the games get really tight and is just another reason why the Demon Deacons have every chance to get to Kennesaw.

Duke coach Robbie Church spoke of the team coming out slow, and in these high pressure matches between two talented teams, that’s not going to work more often than not. Wake did as a good a job as anyone has in containing Duke’s big three, with Laura Weinberg being shut out completely with Cobb and Mollie Pathman only netting one shot on goal each. A lone bright spot perhaps is the continued strong play of Kim DeCesare off the bench, as the sophomore was again a spark for the offense for this Blue Devil team and could be a key figure down the line this season. Odds are, despite this loss, Duke will still be a #1 seed and will most likely be itching to get back into action next weekend once the Big Dance starts.

Louisville 2 (Exeter 3′, McDonald 11′) – 1 (Leon 72′) Notre Dame

A contentious disallowed goal late drew the ire of Notre Dame fans and coaches alike, as they watched their side crash to a 2-1 defeat against Louisville. Desperately searching for an equalizer after clawing the deficit back to 2-1, the Irish would be foiled with eight and a half minutes to play by a controversial offside call. Jessica Schuveiller’s twenty-five yard free kick would hit the post but be poked in by Taylor Schneider only to be ruled out by the linesman’s flag. With defenders on the post though, the goal was nullified, much to the disbelief of the Irish. The Cardinals had jumped out to an early lead when Kaitie McDonald’s throw-in was headed to Christine Exeter by Jordan Pawlik. Exeter than muscled her way around her marker and into space, lifting the ball over the charging Maddie Fox and off the underside of the bar to make it 1-0 to Louisville. McDonald would pick a fine time for her first career goal eight minutes later when she fought off a defender to reach a corner kick to the far post, heading it into the ground and past Fox in Notre Dame’s goal to put the defending national champs behind by two goals early. Adriana Leon pulled one back with a laser from just a few yards outside the top of the box after receiving a pass from Melissa Henderson. The Irish would have a penalty shout denied after Henderson was dragged down a quarter of an hour from time before the disallowed goal with less than ten to play. Schneider would again go unrewarded with five minutes to play when her rising drive shook the bar to consign Notre Dame to defeat. This was another impressive win from Louisville, who pulled off the very rare feat of beating Notre Dame twice in a season. The Cardinals did very well to jump out to an early 2-0 lead before doing just enough to prevail in the end. Christine Exeter is a special player who again bedazzled the Irish defense and should be getting more looks from the Canadian WNT in the future. Watch out for these Cardinals, who are in form and have every chance of making an impact in the NCAA Tournament.

While some of the officiating will surely draw much of the wrath from the Irish, they can only blame themselves for going down by two goals after just eleven minutes and leaving themselves with a whale of a task to get back on level terms. Notre Dame has had problems with going behind all season long, and it still appears that they haven’t learned their lesson, even at this late juncture in the season. The Irish continue to be able to create plenty of chances in front of goal, but the level of finishing still leaves much to be desired. To defend their national title, Notre Dame’s going to have to get it done on the road, but even getting back to Kennesaw looks like a real ask for this team given their inconsistencies this season.

Virginia 1 (Alwine 29′) – 2 (McCarty 55′, Cayman 68′) Florida State

Florida State found themselves behind against Virginia once again on Friday night but this time did what they couldn’t in the regular season and came back to record a priceless win in Cary. It was the Noles’ second win in the ACC Tournament over a team that had beaten them in the regular season and their first win ever over the Cavaliers. FSU had another uphill climb from early on when after seeing their goal peppered with shots that had mostly gone just high, their defense was finally breached after a corner kick. Molly Menchel drove the corner into the box where it was deftly finished by the head of Lauren Alwine, the senior scoring a rare goal, just her second of the season. With it all to do at the break, FSU came out guns blazing in the second half, equalizing ten minutes on after Tiffany McCarty used her blazing pace to beat Maggie Kistner after latching onto Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s pass at midfield. Outrunning the Virginia defense, McCarty slotted a smooth finish past Chantel Jones to level the score. The goal was also a milestone for McCarty who became FSU’s all-time leading scorer, passing Cindy Schofield. Morgan Brian nearly gave the Cavs the lead again with a drive that bounced off the top of the bar to keep the score at 1-1. Janice Cayman would then settle matters soon after, evading two defenders and hammering a shot from thirty yards that curled into the upper-right corner around Jones’ outstretched arms. Virginia would come closest to equalizing when Caroline Miller’s cross into the six-yard box was fumbled by Kelsey Wys and miscleared before the goalkeeper pounced on the loose ball to eliminate the danger. Florida State’s raising their game at a very good time and look like a contender to make it to Kennesaw once more after struggling badly in the regular season at times this year. McCarty’s a lethal weapon in front of goal, while the defense is slowly getting its confidence back after a rough period earlier in the year. Sunday’s big not only for the trophy on the line but also potentially a #1 seed that would be crucial for FSU’s postseason hopes.

Virginia had FSU on the ropes for a good part of the first half but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow that would’ve likely made life much easier in the second half. The Cavs maintained a lot of possession throughout but did not make the most of it on the whole. The Cavs’ finishing also left much to be desired, only putting five of nineteen shots on target (though Brian did hit the bar). UVA’s already shown that they can pummel a good many of the nation’s teams this year, but matches like this one and the program’s general history in the NCAA Tournament ultimately raise the question of whether this group has what it takes to keep it together against top notch opponents when the heat is on in the later rounds of the tournament.

San Diego 3 (Butera 21′, O’Rourke 26′, Russell 64′) – 0 Santa Clara

San Diego claimed a share of the WCC title with a stunning 3-0 rout of Santa Clara who slid to third in the conference with the defeat. Torero’s offensive talisman Stephanie Ochs turned from scorer to provider on the afternoon, whipping in crosses and racking up assists on all three of San Diego’s goals on the evening. With the game being played in miserable cold and wet conditions, San Diego embarked on a more direct style of play that paid dividends in the blowout win. Ochs would cross from the right side to Mariah Butera who volleyed home for the eventual match winner in the twenty-first minute. The hole would grow deeper just five minutes later when Meghan O’Rourke gathered in another Ochs cross, beating Bianca Henninger to give USD a commanding 2-0 lead. Ochs and Elissa Magracia would combine to set up the Toreros third on the evening, the move being finished off by senior Dani Russell to remove any remaining doubt as San Diego lifted a share of their first major trophy in program history. This was a major statement of intend by the Toreros who demolished Santa Clara in no uncertain terms. The stat sheet will show a generally even match, but the Broncos’ token offense came mostly when the match had been long decided. The team’s offense has grown more dynamic as the season’s gone along with Ochs growing more comfortable in a provider role as well as being a threat in front of goal. Thanks to their poor midseason stretch, San Diego’s likely to be unseeded but will be one of everyone’s favorites for a dark horse run through the Big Dance. This team is playing with style and confidence right now and is not a side many will fancy meeting in the NCAA Tournament.

You might’ve envisioned Santa Clara losing this game considering it was on the road and against an in-form opponent, but the manner of the defeat was alarming. The Broncos, who had been playing very well themselves, were just pasted by the Toreros, raising some serious questions about Jerry Smith’s bunch going into the NCAA Tournament. There’s no conference tournament for Santa Clara to work the bugs out and get some of their confidence back after this debacle. Worse still, this may have cost SCU a national seed or at the very least pushed them back towards meeting Stanford on the second weekend of the Big Dance. But if they play like this against a likely scrappy first round opponent, there may not be a second weekend of the NCAA Tournament to worry about for these Broncos.

West Virginia 5 (Miller 4′, Lewis 49′, Silva 57′, Schwindel 61′, Corroto 74′) – 1 (Baker 28′) Georgetown

Five-star West Virginia demolished Georgetown in the second half to move one step away from their second straight Big East Tournament title. Much as was the case in their regular season meeting, the home side jumped out to a very early lead. Blake Miller was on hand to head home Bry McCarthy’s corner kick at the near post and give WVU the advantage. Georgetown would even the score some twenty-five minutes later after a great individual effort from Kelly D’Ambrisi saw the senior midfielder fight off a slew of WVU tackles before threading a ball to Samantha Baker who smashed it to the far post and past Sara Keane in goal. The Hoyas would pay dearly though for another sluggish start to a half after the break. Meghan Lewis would win the ball from a scrum on the near sideline before cutting inside and ripping a shot that Elizabeth Hanna flapped at in the Georgetown goal, the goal taking WVU back into the lead. The home side would double their advantage eight minutes later when Frances Silva broke into space down the middle of the pitch, taking a pass from Kate Schwindel and sliding the ball under Hanna for her side’s third of the night. Schwindel would get into the action herself at the hour mark, dribbling through a few GU defenders before beating Hanna at the near post with a low, hard shot. Silva would help complete the demolition by slotting a beautiful pass into space for Chelsey Corroto who finished to the far post to leave the Hoyas well beaten. After a first half where WVU let their guard down and went into the break even, they came out of the locker room and tore the Georgetown defense to shreds. It’s an understatement to say that the Mountaineers were efficient, scoring five goals on six on-target shots and ten overall on the night. This WVU team is amazingly balanced in attack and showed so in this one, with only one player recording more than one shot on the evening. Again, Nikki Izzo-Brown has this team peaking at the right time. The Mountaineers have looked a cut above in the Big East all season and could continue to roll all the way to Kennesaw.

There’s certainly no shame in losing on the road to a team like West Virginia, but Georgetown continues to show very tangible problems in defense against top level teams. The Hoyas have now shipped multiple goals to Stanford, William & Mary, West Virginia (x2), Notre Dame, and Louisville this season. Georgetown certainly has enough weapons in the arsenal to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament, but defending like that isn’t going to make another run to the Elite Eight possible. The defense was far from convincing on many of the goals given up on this evening, while goalkeeper Elizabeth Hanna had an off night to be blunt. The Hoyas look like they’re on the bubble at the moment, though you’d think they’ve got a decent shot of making it in. If they do though, they could be staring at a first round matchup with Maryland, and defending like they did against West Virginia will undoubtedly lead to an early exit.

Illinois 1 (Mykines 92′) – 0 Michigan State [aet]

Marissa Mykines scored in extra time and Illinois struck a major blow against Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament hopes as they reached the Big Ten Tournament final. Mykines would settle a mostly even game shortly into extra time with a sensational individual effort, beating four Michigan State defenders before beating Jill Flietstra at full stretch with a shot to the left post. The Illini had junior keeper Steph Panozzo to thank for even making it to extra time after the Canadian made a line of dazzling stops to deny the MSU attack, mostly in the first half. The netminder was quick off her line and excellent with reflex saves to deny the high powered Spartan offense a breakthrough. To see Mykines come through with the match winner must’ve provided a horrible sense of deja vu for MSU fans who saw the Illini senior midfielder do the exact same thing in extra time in their regular season meeting, scoring in the extra frame to break a scoreless deadlock. It was no less than the veteran Illinois player deserved though after putting together nine shots, five of them on goal to terrorize the MSU defense. It’s difficult to remember a major conference team putting together such a great stretch of form and going so under the radar. Illinois hasn’t lost since September 25 but has gone mostly unspoken of in recent weeks in favor of more fancied sides. But this team is clearly clicking on all cylinders and will be looking to avenge their earlier defeat against the Nittany Lions. The Illini have struggled historically against PSU though and will have to dig deep to be able to upset the league champs who themselves have been in mighty fine form.

MSU can feel a little hard done by, denied by some brilliant goalkeeping by Panozzo and a great piece of individual skill from Mykines in extra time. It’s not like Heyboer and Stander were totally shut down, but the Spartans just couldn’t find a way through. Michigan State drops to the tail end of the bubble and looks like they could be left out of the Big Dance once again. The Spartans do have that late season win over Ohio State but nothing else on their profile. Playing hardly anyone with a pulse in non-conference again looks like it could leave the East Lansing side in a world of hurt come Selection Monday.

Tennessee 0 – 2 (Ball 33′, King 86′) Auburn

Auburn recorded their second upset in three days as the seventh seeded Tigers advanced to the SEC Tournament final for the first time since 2005. Defender turned forward Julie King took home most of the plaudits with the goal that iced the match in addition to an assist on Tori Ball’s match winner a few minutes after the half-hour mark. The match winning goal would come on a counter attack when Amy Howard stopped Caroline Brown’s breakaway shot with a diving save, with the Tigers breaking soon after thanks to King’s long ball up the middle to Ball who finished on a 1v1 opportunity against Julie Eckel to give Auburn the lead. The Lady Vols came out of the break with purpose and chipped away at the Tigers’ goal with effort after effort. But most of those attempts were off-target or blocked by a stubborn Auburn defense. The stat sheet may have shown that Tennessee outshot the Tigers, 21-11, but most of the Lady Vols’ shots failed to find the target and Angela Kelly’s team only enjoyed a 4-3 advantage on the night in shots on goal. King would put the Tigers through to the final late on when Mary Coffed’s corner kick was pinball around to Ana Cate and Ball, the ball eventually landing at the feet of the senior utility player who finished from short range. After floundering down the stretch, Auburn are coming good at a great time and were very opportunistic in making the most of their chances while limiting Tennessee to just four shots on goal. The addition of King to the offensive pack has been just the shakeup this team’s needed and is added an extra dimension to the Tiger attack. Auburn will undoubtedly be thrilled to not only get a shot at a tournament title but also another shot at a Florida team who they led twice in the regular season before blowing the lead both times and eventually losing in extra time.

Erratic finishing has been a problem for UT over the past few seasons, but they had seemingly squashed that for much of this season only for it to rear its ugly head once again at an inopportune time. It’s great that the Lady Vols were able to put together so many shots, but it’s obviously a problem when you put less than twenty percent of your efforts on the frame of the goal. Given how well the Tennessee offense has played for much of the season though, you’d hope that it was just a bad night at the office and the Lady Vols will be much more accurate down the road. Additionally, you have to wonder if at some point if this team’s lack of depth is going to catch up to them. Kelly hasn’t dipped very deep into her bench down the stretch, including in this one, where nine of the ten field players played eighty minutes plus, with only one sub seeing major time.

Oklahoma State 1 (Kelley 108′) – 0 Texas [aet]

Oklahoma State broke Texas hearts late with a golden goal just a few minutes from the end of extra time to make for a nervous wait ahead for the Longhorns on Selection Monday. The match seemed to be headed for spot kicks until Kristen Kelley spared everyone the lottery of penalties with a goal two minutes from the end of extra time. The move was started by Miriam Rhinehart, who used a burst of pace to take the ball down the sideline before crossing into the box. Kelley would trap the cross and swivel with a shot to the far post that eluded Gaul and sent the Cowgirls into another Big XII Tournament final. In a match with precious few clear cut opportunities in front of goal, OSU had had the chance to go ahead near the half-hour mark when Melinda Mercado headed the ball off the bar off of a Colleen Dougherty free kick. It was another frustrating night for the Cowgirls who have had real trouble with their Big XII rivals from Austin over the past few seasons, having been dropped by Texas last season and having fought to a draw earlier in the regular season. As the match wore on though, OSU began to create a few more opportunities with Gaul needing to make some nice saves to keep the shutout intact. This was the fifth straight clean sheet for the Cowgirls and the eighth in the past nine matches for an OSU squad that is just suffocating teams with their defense. The Cowgirl attack hasn’t been explosive lately, but they’ve been good enough to get the job done in most cases. A much anticipated rematch with Texas A&M; awaits on Sunday with a potential #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

As has been case for much of the season, Texas fought valiantly but were ultimately undone in the end. The Longhorns have been a piecemeal unit offensively lately thanks to injuries and just plain inconsistency and couldn’t find a way through the OSU defense. While Texas coach Chris Petrucelli may rue the RPI rankings that have his team on the bubble, they can only blame themselves for the beginning of the season meltdown against Loyola Marymount or the defeats to Kansas and San Diego State in the middle of the season that put them into this must-win scenario. The Horns are right on the cutline RPI-wise but don’t have any marquee wins to their name. It’s going to be a very close call more than likely on Selection Monday.

Florida 2 (Tymrak 33′, Thompson 81′) – 1 (Rijsdijk 33′) Alabama

Florida conceded early but came back to shoot down a brave Alabama side to reach their second straight SEC Tournament final. Gator fans probably had horrible flashbacks to their end of season slide when Pia Rijsdijk broke the ice for the Crimson Tide early on when Janea Simpson redirected Ashley Willis’ corner kick in her direction. Rijsdijk spun off a defender and finished to the far post to give Alabama a surprising lead. The advantage wouldn’t last long though, as Caroline Triglia navigated a maze of Alabama defenders to slot a diagonal ball to Erika Tymrak, who created space with one touch before slotting it to the far post to equalize. After hammering on the door for much of the second half, Florida would finally take the lead with less than ten minutes to play. Tymrak was again at the heart of the move, taking a pass near midfield and dribbling into space and through the Alabama defense. The junior midfielder then crossed into the heart of the box for the run of Lindsay Thompson, whose shot bounded off goalkeeper Justine Bernier and into the back of the goal for the winner. It was a cruel turn of events for the senior Crimson Tide keeper whose saves had kept her side afloat up to that point in the second half. While Florida will obviously be thrilled about making it back to another SEC Tournament final, they’ll be equally pleased with Tymrak breaking her scoring duck that had seen her go cold in front of goal as of late. With their playmaker in form, Florida becomes an entirely different animal, one capable of making an extended run through the NCAA Tournament. Auburn on Sunday’s going to be a real battle though if the teams’ regular season meeting was any indication, with the Gators having to fight tooth and nail for their regular season win over the Tigers.

Alabama certainly gave Florida all they could handle in the first half before eventually being worn down by the Gators in the second stanza. Despite the defeat, Alabama’s come on like wildfire late in the SEC season and in the conference tournament and given their late season results, should be hopeful of their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in over a decade. Even though Bama lacks the pedigree on the big stage, their late season performances show that they are not a side to be taken lightly and could very well cause another shock if given the right matchup.

Dayton 2 (Libertin 34′, Garcia 51′) – 0 Richmond

Dayton got revenge for a regular season defeat to Richmond with a deserved 2-0 defeat that leaves the Spiders on the bubble ahead of Monday’s selection show. The Flyers would take a lead into the break after Juliana Libertin became the third Dayton player with at least ten goals on the season with her thirty-fourth minute strike. After a turnover in the box, Alysha Mallon dished wide to Libertin, who cut inside before unleashing a high, bending ball to the far post over the keeper’s hands that kissed the left post before bouncing back across the line. In the ascendancy, Dayton began to assert their dominance after the break and doubled their lead in the fifty-first minute. Colleen Williams would again work her magic for the home side, getting to the endline before cutting it back towards the top of the box for Alexis Garcia who hammered it into the upper corner of the goal. Dayton would finish with an 11-5 shot advantage in the second half, and the margin of defeat could’ve been much worse for the Spiders had goalkeeper Melissa Pacheco not made eight saves on the night. The Flyers appear to be over their brief midseason hiccup in form that dropped them to third in the conference and forced them into a first round game in the A10 Tournament. Ironically, that may have been a benefit when all is said and done, with the extra match an RPI boost. Dayton should be in even if they lose on Sunday, though you wouldn’t count on that given the Flyers’ current form. The defense has been shutting down everything in sight, while the offense has plenty of weapons, as exhibited by the presence of a trio of players with at least ten goals. The Flyers could well be one of this year’s sleepers to make a deep run through the NCAA Tournament.

Considering where Richmond’s been over the past half decade with one winning season, it’s been a hell of a year for Peter Albright’s troops. And it may not be over yet. The Spiders will undoubtedly be one of the team’s up for bubble discussion for the selection committee ahead of Monday’s reveal. Though Richmond doesn’t have any huge brand name wins, they have beaten William & Mary and Dayton along with fellow bubble battler UMass. Could that be enough for the Spiders to make it to the Big Dance? If it is, not too many teams will relish trying to shut down Richmond’s Becca Wann, one of the great unheralded forwards in all the land.

Texas A&M; 3 (Mathias 16′, Monogue 55′, Kunz 83′) – 0 Missouri

Texas A&M; cruised to victory in San Antonio over Missouri, avenging a regular season defeat and setting up a mouthwatering rematch with Oklahoma State in the Big XII Tournament final. Merritt Mathias would claim the match winner just after the quarter hour mark when the Missouri defense stood off the senior, letting her cut inside and rip a blistering shot to the far post for her eighth of the season. Nora Skelton would come close to doubling the lead after the break, seeing her header saved before punching a rebound just wide. Kelley Monogue would continue here amazing freshman season ten minutes after the break after a surging run up the middle of the pitch concluding with a rifled shot that McKenzie Sauerwein could only parry into the back of her own net. A&M; would complete the rout in the eighty-third minute when Lyndsey Gntazig’s far post cross was headed back across the face of goal by Skelton to a waiting Annie Kunz. Kunz took a few touches before scoring her thirteenth of the season past a diving Sauerwein. While Missouri hung with A&M; for a while in the first half, it became apparent as the night rolled on that the Aggies had coped better with Wednesday’s taxing extra time affair than the Tigers had. The offense continued to roll and show why they’re on top of the DI goals chart with three more strikes as Merritt Mathias and Kelley Monogue continue to impress. More importantly, the defense did a fine job in limiting Missouri to just a pair of shots on goal with none coming in the second half. Oklahoma State awaits on Sunday in what’s likely to be another knockdown, drag out affair between a pair of evenly matched teams with College Cup aspirations. A&M; is certainly hungry for a trophy on their way out of the league, having not won the Big XII Tournament since 2005 and would love to get one over on one of their league rivals as they depart for the SEC.

After a great effort to overcome Baylor on penalties, Missouri just ran out of gas down the stretch in this one. You could also argue much the same about the Tigers over the final six matches of the season, in which they went an unflattering 2-3-1 to drive their RPI into the danger zone. The Tigers do have bubble wins over Kansas and Ohio State to go along with their regular season win over Texas A&M;, but their RPI is such that they might need results to swing the math in their direction to even get consideration as a bubble team. All in all, it looks like the Tigers’ chances for an at-large bid are slim, and Mizzou may be kicking itself all into the winter for their end of season loss to Iowa State.

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