Nov. 21, 2009

Price's Golden Goal Sends FSU Into Quarterfinals Of NCAA Tournament
Fifth-ranked Florida State (18-4-1) and No. 22 Texas A&M (15-7-3) battled for nearly 108 minutes on Friday night in front of a packed crowd at the Seminole Soccer Complex but in the end the `Price' was right! Jessica Price sealed the Seminoles' ticket into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament scoring the golden goal with 2:01 left in double overtime to give Florida State a 2-1 victory.

Price took a pass from Tiffany McCarty and made a strong run into the box. With three Aggie defenders crowding the space in front of the net, Price made a series of moves to her left running toward the far sideline before slotting a low-liner inside the left post from about four yards out. The goal was her fourth of the tournament and third game-winning tally this postseason.

After both teams played to a scoreless first half, Texas A&M broke through with the game's first goal in the 55th minute as Rachel Shipley belted a shot from the top of the box which caromed off the left post and into the back of net for her ninth goal of the season. Nora Skelton began the scoring chance for the Aggies as her initial shot from 20 yards hit of the crossbar. The Seminoles tried to clear the loose ball with a series of headers but the ball found the foot of Shipley who one-timed the shot to give A&M the one-goal lead. 

Boston College Advances To the Elite Eight
The Boston College women's team has advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history with a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin in front of 924 fans at the Newton Soccer Field on Friday night. The Eagles improved to 18-3-2, while the Badgers finish the seasons at 10-6-6.

Junior Brooke Knowlton changed the game when she scored in the 62nd minute of the match. Knowlton picked up a loose ball when Victoria DiMartino collided with a Wisconsin defender. Knowlton ripped a shot high and into the top left corner from 22 yards out for the 1-0 lead.

Knowlton almost had a goal earlier in the half when she ripped a shot from just 16 yards out. Wisconsin goalkeeper Michelle Dalton smothered the hard shot from Knowlton to keep the game knotted at 0-0. 

Harrington's Last Second Header Gives Wake 1-0 Win over South Carolina
Wake Forest senior Bess Harrington scored off a corner kick with one second remaining to give the 14th-ranked Demon Deacons a dramatic 1-0 win against No. 8 South Carolina on Friday night in front of 4,347 fans at Stone Stadium.

With the win, Wake Forest improves to 16-5-2 on the season, while South Carolina ends its season with a 19-4-2 record.

The Demon Deacons applied constant pressure over the final 60 seconds and Allie Sadow earned a corner kick with 10 seconds remaining. Jill Hutchinson hustled over to the far corner and got her kick off with four seconds remaining. The ball found the head of Harrington on the right side of the six-yard box with two seconds left and she headed the ball over South Carolina goalkeeper Mollie Patton and into the back of the net to give Wake Forest an improbable 1-0 victory. 

Cavaliers Fall at UCLA in Round of 16
The Virginia women’s soccer team had its season come to an end with a 3-0 loss at No. 4 UCLA in the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Drake Stadium. It marks the third time in the past five years the Cavaliers have had their season end at UCLA.

In the first half, the Bruins took an early lead in the fourth minute as Dea Cook headed in a corner kick from Lauren Barnes. UCLA doubled their lead in the 42nd minute as Sydney Leroux shot from the top of the box snuck just inside the post. The Bruins took that 2-0 lead into halftime.

Both teams had chances in the second half, but the game remained 2-0 until the 89th minute when Leroux scored her second goal of the game as she fired in a loose ball from the top of the box. 

Hokies' run halted at Sweet 16, falling 4-1 to Pilots
The Hokies’ historical season came to an end after falling to the Portland Pilots, 4-1, in the Sweet 16. This is the furthest the Hokies have gone in the Tournament as they earned their first two Tournament wins before crossing the country for the third-round match. Tech would be unable to join the three other ACC teams (Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest) in the Elite 8, all three advancing earlier in the day, and became one of two conference teams to be outed this round with two more still to play. The Hokies fought for the full 90 minutes but just could not recover the first half deficit. Avoiding the shutout, Julian Johnson would net one for the Hokies early in the match but the powerful Pilot offense would prevail.

The tone of the game was set early as back-and-forth scoring would break the even possession and middle-of-the-field play that dominated the opening minutes. Neither team would waste much time before getting on the board as Portland (21-1-0) was the first to score when Danielle Foxhoven netted a goal in the third minute of the match. She slipped past the Hokie (16-8-0) defense in the middle of the field, bringing the ball to the left side, and crossed it towards the right side of the net. Tech’s keeper Kristin Carden attempted to stop the ball with her foot but the ball would soar past her reach and into the right side of the goal.

Tech would answer back a minute later as Robin Chidester would serve the ball in to Johnson in the box to help the Hokies tie things up. Chidester was stuck in the right corner with the ball and was able to get an angle on the defender and cross the ball into the middle. Johnson knocked the ball down, turned and shot, sneaking the ball under Portland’s diving keeper, Kelsey Davis, and into the left side of the net.