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FSU Coach Mark Krikorian - Not The Favorite Person of ACC Management Right Now

Florida State 1 (Gokhman 52′) – 3 (D’Agostino 9′, McSally 49′, 61′) Wake Forest (ACC Quarterfinal in Cary, NC) [Attendance: N/A]

A Florida State reserve side gave Wake Forest a valiant battle before bowing before the strength of two Jackie McSally goals in the second half. FSU coach Mark Krikorian decided to leave the starters in Tallahassee, resting his stars while the second string got a chance to show what they could do in Cary. After Aubrey Bledsoe was forced to save a shot from the Noles’ Niki Mercier, the fifth seeded Demon Deacons took the lead in the ninth minute as Bianca D’Agostino went on a mazy run through the defense before beating FSU keeper Madison Winter from just outside the area. While the early goal seemed a foreboding sign for the Noles, Krikorian’s side were able to keep the pressure on Wake, Tifani Mullen forcing Bledsoe to tip a shot over the bar near the end of the first half. But Wake would double their lead out of the half when a McSally shot was too hot for Winter to handle, the ball trickling into the net after bouncing off of the keeper’s hands. Katie Stengel would break the school’s single season point record on the goal, having chipped in for the assist. Kataya Gohkman would offer a glimmer of hope to FSU as she finished off a nice sequence beginning with Breezy Hupp’s long ball which had been flicked on by Ella Stephan. But there would be no comeback, McSally heading home inside the area from Jackie Logue’s cross to seal the victory and a rematch with North Carolina. While Krikorian seemed happy with the effort and the rest afforded his starters, and Wake Forest reveled in a quality win and advancing into the semi-finals, a most decidedly unhappy person was ACC associate commissioner Nora Lynn Finch. Finch pointedly told The News and Observer that she was “disappointed that Wake Forest played a Florida State team that was not at full strength,” claiming that she thought the Demon Deacons “were cheated”. Only time will tell if Krikorian’s decision with an eye towards the future will prove to be a gamble worth taking.

North Carolina 4 (Ohai 1′, Dunn 27′, Morris 50′, Pfankuch 71′) – 2 (DeTuro 74′, Goldsworthy 78′) Virginia Tech (ACC Quarterfinal in Cary, NC) [Attendance: 1000?]

North Carolina had little trouble racing out to a 4-0 lead against scrappy Virginia Tech but were made to fight in the final quarter of an hour, conceding twice before closing the deal. The ACC regular season champions would blitz the Hokies from the opening whistle, Kealia Ohai hitting the target after just twenty-two seconds after being fed by a Crystal Dunn through ball at the top of the box. Carolina would go into the half with a 2-0 lead thanks to Dunn who turned scorer after Courtney Jones tallied her second assist of the match, playing the freshman through before Dunn’s blast hit the back of the net. The decision to implant Meg Morris in at forward for the second half paid off right out of the gate as the freshman finished off a great team move down the left flank with help from Alyssa Rich and Ohai. Tech almost dragged one back after sixty-five minutes when Brittany Michels’ shot off of Marika Gray’s cross had to be cleared off the line by the UNC defense. Emmalie Pfankuch would make the Hokies pay for their profligacy shortly after when Ranee Premji’s through ball gave Pfankuch an opportunity to shake off a defender and beat beleaguered Hokie keeper Dayle Colpitts for a fourth time. The Hokies would strike back twice in the final sixteen minutes to make the scoreline respectable. Katie DeTuro got onto the end of a pass from Gray and finished from close range before Julia Goldsworthy finished off a short corner from the edge of the area by Kelly Conheeney. The all-out attack from the Hokies could find no further way through though, leaving them to hope they’ve done enough for the Selection Committee, while the Heels look towards another title.

Texas 0 – 1 (Mooney 14′) Oklahoma (Big XII Quarterfinal in San Antonio, TX) [Attendance: 318]

Oklahoma did it to Texas again, winning their second Red River Shootout of the season, this time advancing to the Big XII semi-finals for the first time since 2000 with the win. More importantly, the Sooners may have wrapped up an NCAA bid with their second win over their rivals on the season. OU would get all the offense they’d need just inside a quarter of an hour into the first half when Caitlin Mooney corralled a Whitney Palmer cross before evading the Longhorn defense and beating Alexa Gaul low. Kylie Doniak had multiple opportunities to equalize throughout but would be denied by Kelsey Devonshire or her own wayward finishing at every turn. Despite battling wind bursts of up to thirty miles per hour, the Sooner defense never broke and were duly rewarded with a date with Texas A&M; in the Big XII semi-finals.

Maryland 1 (Dreska 71′) – 0 Duke (ACC Quarterfinal in Cary, NC) [Attendance: N/A]

Molly Dreska struck in the seventy-first minute to send Maryland into the ACC semi-finals in a tight match in Cary. The Blue Devils peppered the Terrapin goal throughout, but it would be the senior Dreska who proved the difference. Colleen Deegan would begin the sequence by launching a long ball into the corner towards Sade Ayinde who held the ball up well before crossing into the area towards Dreska who took a touch before rifling a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal. Duke had come closest to scoring a few minutes before the half when Kaitlyn Kerr’s effort was deflected over the bar by the defense. Maryland had nearly opened the scoring a few minutes earlier when Deegan’s free kick from just outside the area was saved well by Duke keeper Tara Campbell. Instead, the ACC runners-up would have to wait a few more minutes for Dreska’s decider. Duke tried to rally for an equalizer but ultimately fell short, meaning the short drive back to Durham would be a most unhappy one for the Blue Devils, who outshot their opponents 18-7 in defeat.

Virginia 0 – 1 (Payne 66′) Boston College (ACC Quarterfinal, in Cary, NC)

Boston College claimed revenge for the season’s earlier defeat to Virginia that began the side’s downward spiral towards five defeats in eight matches with a 1-0 win over the Cavs on Wednesday night. The Eagles would only tally a single shot on goal, but made it count as Maddie Payne’s first of the season was a priceless goal. After a passing series from Victoria DiMartino and Julia Bouchelle saw the ball fall to Payne, the junior fired from ten yards towards goal. Virginia keeper Chantel Jones really should have done better, the ball hitting her hands before crossing the line. BC would come close before Payne’s winner through Kristen Mewis who hammered the bar twice in the second half. Eagles coach Alison Foley was quick to praise the play of her bench who logged serious minutes through the match. Boston College needed the good play from the reserves as starter and lynchpin Hannah Cerrone served a one match ban for yellow card accumulation after picking up five through the regular season. The win sets up a rematch of October’s heartstopping contest with Maryland for the right to move onto the ACC Final on Sunday.

Oklahoma State 3 (DeLozier 8′, Kelley 64′, Marchesano 74′) – 1 (Fuston 86′) Texas Tech (Big XII Quarterfinal in San Antonio, TX) [Attendance: 296]

Oklahoma State likely drove the final nail into Texas Tech’s NCAA at-large bid coffin with a comprehensive win in the Big XII Tournament over the Red Raiders. The Cowgirls would draw first blood early through Elizabeth DeLozier, the midfielder’s speculative effort from thirty-five yards bamboozling Tech keeper Colleen Pitts and giving the #2 seed the early lead. After not testing Adrianna Franch for the first forty-five minutes, the Red Raiders would force one of the nation’s best keepers into an early save, the Cowgirl keeper sliding out to stop Jessica Fuston’s effort. Kristen Kelley would double the advantage for OSU after heading home Catherine Parish’s deep cross in the sixty-fourth minute. Megan Marchesano would make it academic with a little more than a quarter of an hour to play, finishing from Krista Lopez’s pass. Jessica Fuston would head home from Margaret Gottsacker’s cross with a few minutes to play to ease some of the pain, but the Red Raiders will depart San Antonio knowing that their season is all but over after the defeat.

Other Conference Tournament Action:

Big XII Quarterfinals (from San Antonio, Texas)

(1) Texas A&M; 0 – 0 (8) Colorado [Texas A&M; advances on penalties, 5-4]
(3) Nebraska 4 – 1 (6) Missouri

-Texas A&M; coach G. Guerrieri’s gamble to insert Kelly Dyer into the match for the express purpose of stopping penalties in the shootout paid off as the senior made the stop in the fifth round on Taryn Vitacca that helped her side avoid an embarrassing exit to Colorado.

Conference USA Quarterfinals (from Orlando, Florida)

(3) Houston 3 – 0 (6) Marshall
(4) SMU 0 – 0 (5) Rice [SMU advances on penalties, 4-2]

-Kaitlin Thulin came off the bench to rack up a pair of assists for Houston as they kept at-large hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Marshall.

Sun Belt Quarterfinals (from Bowling Green, Kentucky)

(1) Denver 2 – 1 (8) Louisiana-Lafayette
(2) Middle Tennessee State 3 – 1 (7) Florida Atlantic
(3) North Texas 0 – 3 (6) Western Kentucky
(4) Florida International 2 – 1 (5) Troy

-Mallory Outerbridge scored twice for Western Kentucky as they made home advantage count in upsetting North Texas.

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• 2010 NCAA Soccer