Oct. 30, 2008

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Second-ranked North Carolina and sixth-ranked Florida State battled to a hard-fought 2-2 tie Thursday night at Fetzer Field in collegiate women's soccer action. The draw ended UNC's 11-match winning streak but it still allows the Tar Heels to control their own fate in the regular season Atlantic Coast Conference standings heading into the final match of the season.

It was the fourth time in the last six meetings that UNC and Florida State have gone to overtime, with the Tar Heels now 2-0-2 in those contests. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with the Seminoles 21-1-2. A win or a tie by the Tar Heels against Miami Sunday will allow the Tar Heels to claim the ACC regular season championship and the top seed in the ACC Tournament regardless of how the Seminoles fare against NC State in Raleigh on Sunday.

UNC is now 15-1-2 overall this season and 8-0-1 in the ACC. Florida State is 13-2-2 overall and 7-1-1 in the ACC. A win or tie against Miami Sunday will allow Carolina to finish the ACC regular season without a loss on its ledger for the 17th time in 22 seasons of conference play.

After Carolina scored two first half goals, Florida State sophomore Sanna Talonen rallied the Seminoles to the tie by scoring a pair of goals, including a backbreaking tally against the Heels with only 40 seconds left in the first half.

UNC outshot the Seminoles 17-12, including 10-5 in the first half, and had an 11-3 edge in corner kicks. UNC placed eight of its 17 shots on frame with FSU goalkeeper Kate Milstead making six saves, including one in the 93rd minute on a shot by Casey Nogueira that preserved the tie for the Seminoles. UNC's two goalkeepers split time with Ashlyn Harris playing the first 45 minutes and Anna Rodenbough the last 65. Harris had one save and Rodenbough four. Rodenbough had back-to-back saves in the 55th minute, the first on a Tiffany McCarty breakaway and the second on Sanna Talonen's rebound shot from long range which Rodenbough saved over the line to the right of the goal despite being 20 yards off goal line after saving McCarty's initial scoring chance.

Carolina scored the first goal of the game at 9:27 of the match as senior midfielder Allie Long scored her fifth goal of the season on a header off a corner kick by Yael Averbuch. It was UNC's sixth goal this season off a corner kick after UNC scored only one such goal in the entirety of the 2007 season.

UNC increased its lead to 2-0 at 39:03 on Tobin Heath's seventh goal of the season. Meghan Klingenberg served a long ball from deep in the right corner across the FSU goal mouth. It was headed by an FSU defender and went right to Heath who was positioned at the far left post and she easily headed it in.

The play that turned the game around came in the last minute of the first half as a Tar Heel goal kick was corralled in the middle of the field and the ball was fed to Talonen, who got free down the right side and sped in alone to score to the far post from about 18 yards out. Marissa Kazbour had the assist on the goal for FSU.

The goal by Talonen, which was her 12th of the season, energized the Seminoles and they came out and controlled play in the early stages of the second half. After Rodenbough made the back-to-back saves in the 55th minute to keep the Tar Heels ahead, she made another save on a shot by Tiffany McCarty at 59:53 to retain the Heels' advantage.

Carolina had the next two shots as Casey Nogueira's attempt went wide right in the 61st minute and Allie Long's shot was saved by Kate Milstead in the 65th minute.

Eventually, the aggressive play of FSU paid off at 68:11 as Casey Short won a ball in the midfield on the left side and lofted a ball over the Tar Heel defense to Salonen on the right side of the pitch. Talonen found herself free behind the defense and she dribbled into the box and beat Rodenbough one-on-one with a low drive inside the right post.

Talonen had an opportunity to put the Seminoles ahead at 70:02 but her shot was turned away by Rodenbough. In the 76th minute, FSU's Toni Pressley had a shot go wide right and the game remained tied at 2-2.

Just a little over a minute later, the Tar Heels' chances received a severe blow when Tobin Heath had to leave the match at 76:30 with a sprained right ankle. She was unable to return to the match for the remainder of regulation and overtime.

FSU outshot the Tar Heels 6-4 in the second half but UNC had the last two shots of regulation time, both by Jessica McDonald in the final 10 minutes of play. The first of the two shots in the 81st minute was turned away by Milstead and the second in the 82nd minute went wide.

The Tar Heels had the run of the play in the first overtime and had the only two shots of the period. Milstead made a finger tip save on the shot by Nogueira at 92:01 that was a game-saver for the Seminoles.

Yael Averbuch had the only other shot of the period at the 93:59 mark and it went high. In the second overtime period, neither team was able to generate much attack with Nogueira having UNC's only shot of the period in the 102nd minute, an attempt which went wide right, and McCarty's shot for the Seminoles going high at 107:26 of the match.

Thursday night's game marked the 717th contest in UNC women's soccer history and it marked only the second time in those 717 game where the Tar Heels held a two-goal lead in a game and either lost the game or had to settle for the tie. The only other occasion was on September 1, 1985 when UNC led George Mason 3-0 in a game at Fetzer Field only to see the Patriots rally for three goals with the match ending in a 3-3 tie after two overtime periods.

Carolina will close out its regular season on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Miami at Fetzer Field. The Heels will be looking to avenge their only regular-season ACC loss from the 2007 campaign, a 1-0 setback against the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.

The match will be the final regular-season home match for four Tar Heel seniors -- Yael Averbuch, Anna Rodenbough, Allie Long and Mandy Moraca.