Tar Heels Claim 18th ACC Tournament Championship in 19 Years
Nov. 11, 2007
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. - Things have come full circle this season for the defending NCAA champion University of North Carolina women's soccer team. After starting the season 7-3, coach Anson Dorrance's team has gone 10-0-1 in its last 11 games, the most recent being a 1-0 shutout victory for the Tar Heels over Florida State in the championship game of the 2007 ACC Tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Tournament Most Valuable Player Nikki Washington scored in all three games for the Tar Heels as they defeated Clemson 3-0 in the quarterfinals, tied Virginia 1-1 in the semifinals (advancing on penalty kicks 4-2) and beating Florida State in the finals 1-0 in one of the great rivalries in college soccer. Fourth-ranked Carolina improved to 17-3-1 on the season and earned the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UNC will find out its NCAA matchup and seeding Monday at 8 p.m. EST when the bracket is telecast live on ESPNNews. No. 14 Florida State fell to 13-5-3 with the loss. The storyline of the day was the Tar Heel defense, which ended a Florida State streak of 26 successive games scoring at least one goal. The back line of Kristi Eveland, Jessica Maxwell, Ariel Harris and Robyn Gayle led the way in front of the goalkeeping of Anna Rodenbough and Ashlyn Harris. But UNC's pressure defense all over the field kept Florida State from playing its usual attacking style of soccer, the kind it played Friday night when the Seminoles beat the tournament's No. 2 seed Wake Forest 5-2 in the semifinals.
Carolina limited Florida State to three shots on the afternoon, all by the ACC's leading scorer, Mami Yamaguchi, but none were on goal as neither UNC goalkeeper was forced to make a save. This is the lowest scoring Carolina team in 19 years with 45 goals in 21 games but UNC's defense has carried it all season, allowing only 10 goals and posting 11 shutouts. UNC has not allowed more than one goal in any game this season. The Tar Heels got the goal they needed off the foot of sophomore Nikki Washington at 26:43 of the match. Freshman forward Meghan Klingenberg served a ball from the right side of the box and Washington reached out and deflected it just inside the left post for the score. It was Washington's fifth goal of the season. She scored the game-winner in the quarterfinals against Clemson, the game-tying goal in the semifinals against Virginia and the game-winner in the finals against Florida State. Carolina's other great chance to score came in the opening minute of the second half when Tobin Heath's shot was saved by Florida State goalkeeper Erin McNulty just inches from it crossing the goal line. McNulty made five saves on the day. UNC improved to 51-0-3 all-time in ACC Tournament games and it kept alive a long streak of not having lost a game in which it scored the first goal since a 2000 regular-season loss at Florida State. After starting the season 2-3 in games decided by one goal, the Tar Heels have come back to win six consecutive games decided by one goal, all against conference opponents. The game was another great one in the rivalry between UNC and Florida State who have played in the ACC championship game in four of the last seven years. Over the past two seasons UNC has beaten FSU four times, all by one goal, twice in overtime. All-ACC Tournament Team MVP - Nikki Washington, North Carolina 1. Yael Averbuch, North Carolina |
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