Nov. 9, 2008

Just some thoughts and observations from the ACC Women's Soccer Championship in Cary, N.C.

Heather Hirschman
Website Coordinator for theACC.com

3:01 p.m. - Courtney Jones put the exclamation mark on the match with 9.9 seconds left. She scored on a breakaway goal off a long clearance pass from Whitney Engen. North Carolina wins the 2008 ACC Women's Soccer Championship with a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech.

2:39 p.m. - One more media timeout, this one coming in the 71st minute. North Carolina still holds a 2-0 lead and while the Hokies have not given up, the mountain is just a little higher to climb.

2:24 p.m. - Casey Nogueira deflated the Hokie bench when she scored in the 55th minute. It was kind of weird, kind of like the Red Sea parting the defense. She kicked it to the left side of the goal and froze Kristin Carden in goal.

1:56 p.m. - It's halftime. The Tar Heels hold a 1-0 advantage. They have out-shot Virginia Tech 9-1, but don't count these Hokies out.

1:33 p.m. - Yes, there are timeouts in soccer, at least for TV games. We are in the 25th minute and have just taken the first-half media timeout.

1:25 p.m. - Well, we have our first goal in the 18th minute. UNC's Jessica McDonald scored on header off of a Yael Averbuch corner kick.

12:33 p.m. - I'd like to say I was the one responsible for the weather again today, but I wasn't. It's beautiful!!! Sunny and mild with a slight breeze. Hard to believe it is November.

Today's championship match could be interesting. North Carolina has shut out its two championship opponents, while the Hokies have advanced on PKs in their matches. Could we have a 0-0 tie decided on PKs? It could happen.

For those of you watching at home, the game is live on Fox Sports South, Sun Sports, NESN and Comcast Sports Net.

• Gametracker live stats 
• ACC Women's Soccer Championship Site