Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

The End of History - Jessica Price & Kassey Kallman React After FSU Ended UNC's ACC Tournament Unbeaten Streak

North Carolina 0 – 1 (Price 105′) Florida State [aet] [ACC Tournament Quarterfinal]

Jessica Price’s tap-in in a mad scramble in front of goal in the second half of extra time dealt North Carolina their first ever loss in the ACC Tournament and prolonged their recent slump. After two scoreless halves of regulation and one and a half scoreless periods of extra time, we looked to be headed to penalties after a bucketload of spurned chances all match long until Price hit the target. With a little over five minutes in extra time, Ella Stephan rose and met Tiana Brockway’s corner kick with a firm header that forced Anna Sieloff into a desperate save onto the bar. Unluckily for the home side, the ball dropped right down to the feet of a waiting Price who just poked it over the line. Carolina could have few complaints after some of the gilt edged chances they missed over the course of the match. UNC would see Brockway clear a Crystal Dunn shot off the line in the first half, while Sieloff would be forced into action at the other end in the second half when forced to push a Tiffany McCarty shot wide. The best chance of the half and perhaps the entire match would fall to the home side though after a Carolina foul in their own end. Florida State tried a quick restart but saw Crystal Dunn block the kick and take off down the pitch with the ball in stride. Ludicrously with a two-on-zero opportunity against Kelsey Wys, UNC didn’t manage to get a shot off, Dunn squaring for Emmalie Pfankuch who couldn’t control the pass, the ball skirting out of bounds. The teams would trade scoring opportunities until Price was golden in the second half of extra time. This was as big as wins get for Florida State, the type of gritty, determined victory that defines title contenders. The Noles have now won four in a row in the crucible that is the ACC and are a real threat to take home the trophy in Cary this weekend. Price’s emergence into a super sub role has been key for the upswing in form, as has the presence of Dagny Brynjarsdottir in the lineup after bouncing between the Atlantic for EURO qualifying for her native Iceland. There were bumps to be sure this year, but the Noles may just yet make good on their potential from the beginning of the season.

UNC’s defeat marked a whole lot of unpleasant firsts for the program: First loss in the ACC Tournament, first time Carolina’s lost three matches in a row in program history, first time with five losses in a season, and first time having lost to Florida State at home. The Heels for their part put a lot of shots on the board but were woeful with their accuracy, putting just three of those attempts on target. The wayward finishing in this one did little to ease any worries about the Tar Heel offense which has looked feeble on more than one occasion down the stretch. It’s downright nutty to think that this team will not have scored multiple goals in a match in over a month when they next take the pitch for the NCAA Tournament. Odds are, the Heels will have to be road warriors at some point if they want to get to Kennesaw this season. If they don’t sort themselves out in a hurry though, this group may be in line to set some other unwanted firsts when all is said and done.

Marquette 0 – 1 (Henderson 9′) Notre Dame [Big East Tournament Quarterfinal]

Melissa Henderson’s early goal proved decisive for Notre Dame, as the Irish picked up a priceless win for their NCAA Tournament hopes. In a rain soaked Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Henderson would snap off a short-range header from the cross of Jazmin Hall to give the visitors and early lead they would never relinquish. Hall would prove her worth at the other end of the pitch less than ten minutes later, clearing Taylor Madigan’s shot off the line with a sliding save. Other than Madigan’s close shave, the away side would have the better chances of scoring after Henderson’s goal, with Sammy Scofield’s volley hitting the bar before being cleared away. The Golden Eagles would press on for an equalizer in the second half in vain, with the Irish coming closer to extending their lead a few minutes from time when Henderson hit the post from short range. Big time players score big time goals, and that’s exactly what Henderson did in this one to separate two very evenly matched teams. After some down games earlier in the year, Henderson is heating up in a major way down the stretch and could be in line to do some real damage through the month of November. Additionally, a healthy Courtney Barg has been a big boost to the team’s midfield after getting over her midseason injury struggles. The defense is coming around as well, becoming the first team this season to hold Marquette off the scoreboard. With their NCAA Tournament qualification fears finally put to bed, the Irish should be in a good position to buckle down and try to bring home the team’s first trophy of the season this weekend in Morgantown.

Though it’s probably of little comfort to the defeated Golden Eagles, there’s no shame in losing to a motivated Notre Dame side, even at home. Marquette more than held their own against the Irish but simply lacked the cutting edge on the afternoon to overcome the early deficit. This result does little to change the fact that this is still a very dangerous team with very few holes that can make a real impact in the NCAA Tournament. They’re probably deserving of a national seed, and not many teams will find much joy in traveling up to Valley Fields as the temperatures plummet in November. It’s just a matter of putting this result behind them and refocusing on the task ahead.

Boston College 2 (Wagner PK 71′, Mewis 90′) – 3 (Nuzzolese 7′, Marshall 22′, Ridgik 70′) Wake Forest [ACC Tournament Quarterfinal]

Wake Forest used a varied scoring attack and held off a late rally to avenge a Thursday defeat to Boston College and book their place in the ACC Tournament Semi-Finals. While the scoreline may have reflected a close matchup, Wake were scarcely in any real danger, up early, up by multiple goals a quarter hour after that, and then up 3-0 with twenty minutes to play before BC netted two consolation goals. Rachel Nuzzolese would send her side off to a flyer early, taking Katie Stengel’s pass and hitting the target from the back post. Nuzzolese would play a major role in the team’s two other goals, serving in corner kicks that were finished off by Kim Marshall and Riley Ridgik in the first and second halves respectively that gave Wake a commanding lead. BC would not have any shortage of scoring opportunities though, with Kristen Mewis and Julia Bouchelle both shaking the woodwork in the first half, while Gibby Wagner also looked threatening. The home side would have to wait until the seventy-first minute to get on the board as Wagner fired home from the spot after being upended in the box. Mewis would score with just second on the board to make the final result more respectable, but it did little to change the result, which left the Eagles out of the ACC Tournament. This was a big, big win for Wake’s psyche which had taken some real hits having not won a match of significance since the beginning of October against Virginia. It also served as a stark reminder that this team is pretty darn good on set pieces, even if Stengel isn’t scoring. The defense probably could’ve done without giving up twenty-three shots, but they did enough to get the job done, and that’s really all that matters this time of year. The rematch with Duke has the potential to be something special and is one Wake’s been craving since their defeat to the Blue Devils. Both teams should have a near full complement of their stars, meaning we should be in store for some must see action in Cary on Friday.

Boston College’s been a streaky team this season but seemed to have things turned around after beating Wake Forest the first time on Thursday in Newton. But beating a team as good as Wake Forest two times in a row was never going to be easy, and the Eagles came up short on Sunday. The continued struggles of Victoria DiMartino continue to be a big worry for this club, as the Eagles’ top forward continues to fire blanks, or in this match, failed to really fire at all, with just one off-target shot to her name. Mewis and Wagner have been trying to pick up the slack but can only do so much. While BC might be able to win a couple games in the Big Dance with their top forward misfiring, getting back to the College Cup with her out of form doesn’t look likely.

Duke 1 (Cobb 3′) – 0 Virginia Tech [ACC Tournament Quarterfinal]

ACC league champs Duke survived a broken nose to goalkeeper Tara Campbell and a stubborn Virginia Tech side to advance in the ACC Tournament. Duke got Kelly Cobb’s tenth goal of the year early on and held on to win their first ACC Tournament match since 2005. The Blue Devils would get the only goal they’d need within the first few minutes of the match. A Mollie Pathman free kick was deflected by a Virginia Tech player off the right post and back into a scrum of players. An attempted clearance went to Laura Weinberg who just managed to play it into the path of Kelly Cobb who rifled a shot past Dayle Colpitts in goal. Duke would get a major scare at the half-hour mark though when Campbell slid to try and take the ball off of Jazmine Reeves’ foot. She succeeded but also got one of Reeves’ boots in the face, leaving the junior keeper in a heap on the ground and in considerable pain. With Campbell unable to continue, redshirt freshman Meghan Thomas stepped into the breach for only her second career appearance. Colpitts would be the keeper called into more duty over the course of the afternoon though, including being forced into a stunning save on a Duke header to keep the score at 1-0. The Hokies would come closest to scoring in the second half’s early minutes when a high Shannon Mayrose shot had Thomas struggling but kissed the bar and bounced clear. The visitors would find no way past Campbell’s understudy though, and Duke ran out with the same margin of victory as their regular season meeting. The Blue Devils’ finishing probably wasn’t where it needs to be in this one, but they still were opportunistic with the opener and played firm defense once again to take the win and advance. Despite another injury to one of their key cogs, players just keep stepping up for the Blue Devils. Duke is a sleeper no more in the national title race and should be one of the favorites to make it to Kennesaw, though they have more business to take care of in Cary this weekend.

It was a bit of deja vu for Virginia Tech who showed a lot of heart and effort in the first matchup with Duke this season but just couldn’t find a way through the ACC champs’ defense. They had a few opportunities in this one but only four of their fourteen shots went on target. Ultimately, Virginia Tech’s lack of a proven top notch scoring option up front proved their undoing, as it has been at times this season against the toughest opposition. This team certainly has the graft to stay with just about anyone come the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. But whether they have the craft to unlock top defenses and make a deep run in November is certainly up for debate.

Virginia 2 (Menchel 29′, Douglas 83′) – 0 Maryland [ACC Tournament Quarterfinal]

Virginia eased past Maryland in another one-sided affair between these two ACC rivals in Charlottesville. After being comprehensively beaten in their first encounter earlier in the season, Maryland was hoping for better fortunes in this one but would be left deeply disappointed by another ineffectual performance that saw them put only one shot on goal. The Cavs would take the lead at the half-hour mark when Amanda Fancher’s cross was headed clear but right into the path of Molly Menchel at the edge of the area. Menchel would lace a rising drive into the upper-left corner of the goal, leaving Yewande Balogun no chance of stopping the shot. Virginia had the ball in the back of the net again five minutes later after a crisp passing move to Carolina Miller but the prolific striker was denied by the linesman’s flag for offside. Virginia would have another chance to add to their lead at the half, forcing Domenica Hodak to clear off the line twice in rapid succession to ensure her side went into the break down by just a goal. The Terps couldn’t gain new life after the break though, and Virginia will be slightly disappointed that it didn’t salt the game away until Gloria Douglas’s rasping drive in the eighty-third minute after a shimmy into the area rose above the outstretched hands of Balogun and into the back of the net. This Virginia teams is capable of scoring some luscious goals and did so on this afternoon in making a very good Maryland team look entirely pedestrian. If these Cavs can marry aesthetics with pragmatism and mental fortitude come the Big Dance, a greater audience could get a chance to see UVA strut their stuff at the College Cup.

Whether it was Virginia being a bad matchup for this team, the fatigue coach Brian Pensky referred to in his post-match comments, or a combination of the two, this was the second time this year that his Terps were essentially whitewashed by the Cavs. The latter is certainly fixable with the amount of rest that Maryland will be getting between now and the NCAA Tournament, but they could be staring into the great unknown with a national seed unlikely after this defeat. The goals the Terps gave up were both excellent hits, but you just kept waiting in vain for the Maryland offense to breathe some life into the fixture. It’s not like the Terps are without the weapons to do some damage on the scoreboard, it’s just getting all of that firepower working on a consistent basis. It’s rarely worked that way against top opposition this year, and Pensky will have to hope that changes for the Big Dance, because relying on a defense that has, at times, leaked goals to top teams this season may be unhealthy for Maryland’s long-term prospects in the NCAA Tournament.

Pepperdine 2 (Williams 37′, Cole PK 42′) – 1 (Capelle 13′) Portland

Pepperdine stayed in the WCC title race after coming from behind to beat Portland in Malibu on Sunday afternoon. In form striker Micaela Capelle gave the visitors a vital goal early after taking Danielle Foxhoven’s pass and lifting it over keeper Roxanne Barker from the top of the box. With the Waves struggling to find their rhythm a bit in the opening stanza, it’d take a goal from their sensational freshman, Lynn Williams, to get them going. After a sideline run by defender Michelle Pao, Williams took the pass and fired a low, hard shot past Hailee DeYoung in goal to tie the match up. Pepperdine would take the lead late in the half in contentious fashion from Pilots’ fans eyes, Michelle Manning being fouled in the box. Laura Cole stepped up and converted from the spot to send the home side into the break with a 2-1 lead. The Waves surged in the second half and were unlucky to not add to their lead when Cole fired high and Myriah Stockman hit the bar not soon after. Pepperdine would force DeYoung into five saves in the second half and outshot their opponents by a 10-5 count in the final period to record the crucial win. This was a pretty big win for a Pepperdine side that had to show it could overcome adversity after their first loss of the season to Santa Clara just a few days earlier. That they did it against a desperate team, coming from behind no less, should put some of the fears about Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament as postseason neophytes to bed. As long as they can take care of business against San Francisco, they’ve got a great shot of pulling in at least a share of the WCC title if San Diego can take anything off of Santa Clara on Friday.

Portland really could’ve used this one but came up short against a very good Pepperdine team. The Pilots are now one game under .500 and must beat Gonzaga this weekend to be eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. On paper, you’d certainly back Garrett Smith’s team to get it done, but you just never know in what’s been a painfully inconsistent season for the Pilots. Realistically, Portland could’ve done themselves a lot of good by punching in another of their first half opportunities, because once the Waves got their first goal, the momentum swung their way for pretty much the rest of the match. If the Pilots can take anything away from this defeat, at least it’s the impressive form of Micaela Capelle who scored yet again for her side. Odds are, Portland’s going to need her to keep scoring to take some of the heat off of Danielle Foxhoven if they want to have any type of extended postseason run. Having any type of postseason at all though depends on the result against Gonzaga on Saturday night.

Oregon State 3 (Buckland 27′, 87′, Ingalls PK 48′) – 0 Cal

A brace from Chelsea Buckland moved Oregon State one step closer to the NCAA Tournament as the Beavers outclassed their visitors in a Pac-12 clash on Sunday. Remarkably, it was OSU’s first win over the side from Berkeley since the 1995 season. Buckland would give the home side the lead just short of the half-hour mark after goalkeeper Emily Kruger saved from Brittney Oljar’s shot but could not stop Buckland’s follow-up from short range. Melinda Ingalls would double the advantage from the penalty spot just a few minutes after the break, giving the Beavers a big 2-0 advantage. Senior keeper Colleen Boyd would only be called into making four saves, and Buckland would seal the dominant win late on with an arrow to the far post from twenty yards to hit double digits for the 2011 season. The match would get rather testy late on, with both clubs picking up a pair of bookings in the final eight minutes, but OSU would go home the happier side with the three points in the bag. All things considered, this might be the win that gets Oregon State into the NCAA Tournament. With victories over Pac-12 bubble rivals Washington State and now Cal, it’s going to be very hard to overlook the Beavers for a spot in the Big Dance. A win over Oregon in the Civil War Series this weekend should be enough to lock things up for the Beavers, though they’re likely in good shape either way. With a strong keeper like Boyd to go along with a couple of capable strikers like Buckland and Jenna Richardson, this is a team that could be a dark horse to make a little noise in November if all the requisite parts are clicking.

After Katie Benz’s injury, Cal had coped fairly well after some rough initial going, going 4-1-1 in the six matches before Sunday’s encounter with Oregon State. But they got thumped pretty badly by the Beavers in Corvallis, and their RPI has sagged right into the front edge of the bubble. You’d think they should be fine with a loss to Stanford this weekend not likely to cause their numbers any damage, but their most significant wins are over Denver and Long Beach State, which may cause some eyebrows to raise on the selection committee. Cal has now lost to both of their Pac-12 bubble rivals and may be sweating on Selection Monday if the bubble contracts. Of course, they could solve all those problems with a result against rivals Stanford, but the odds will certainly be against them in Palo Alto on Saturday night.

Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

• Soccer
• Sports
• W. College Soccer

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• 2011 NCAA Soccer

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

View jennaawk's Full Profile