No. 1 Virginia 3, Duke 2
DURHAM, N.C. -- Top-ranked Virginia extended its win streak to 10 games, the program's longest since 1990, with a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Duke on Thursday. The Cavaliers (10-0, 4-0 ACC) rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit with three second-half goals to remain the nation's only unbeaten and untied team.
Junior midfielder Morgan Brian, sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak and senior forward Gloria Douglas scored for the Cavaliers, who rallied from a two-goal deficit for the first time since a 6-2 win at Penn State in the 2009 NCAA tournament.
The Blue Devils (4-5-1, 1-3-1 ACC) took the 2-0 halftime lead by scoring on both of their shots on goal. In the ninth minute, Kim DeCesare got behind the Cavalier defense and passed a ball to Kelly Cobb at the back post, who tapped in her second goal of the season. The lead doubled in the 23rd minute when Kaitlyn Kerr scored off a Cobb pass following a Virginia attempted clearance of a corner kick. Despite down by two goals, the Cavaliers outshot Duke 7-5 at the break.
The Cavaliers wasted little time drawing even in the second half, scoring twice in the first five minutes. In the 47th minute, junior Danielle Colaprico's through ball found the run of Brian, who fired home her seventh goal of the season. Just 83 seconds later, a similar play tied the game as Doniak scored off a pass from senior defender Molly Menchel. It was Doniak's team leading ninth goal of the season, as she extended her goal scoring streak to five games, tied for the third longest streak in UVa history.
Virginia continued to pressure Duke throughout the second half and the go-ahead goal came in the 80th minute. Senior defender Shasta Fisher dribbled past her defender to the end line and sent a cross that Douglas one-timed in for her first goal of the season. It was her 20th career goal and her seventh game-winner.
The Cavaliers outshot Duke 22-9 on the night and had a 5-2 corner kick advantage.
No. 3 Florida State 4, Miami 0
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Third-ranked Florida State (9-0-2, 4-0-1 ACC) scored three first-half goals and cruised to a 4-0 victory against intra-state rival Miami (6-4-0, 1-4-0 ACC) on Thursday evening in front of a crowd of over 1,200 inside the Seminole Soccer Complex.
Berglind Thorvaldsdottir scored the first two goals of the match for her second career multi-goal game of the season, while Jamia Fields and Carson Pickett each registered two assists in the win. Freshman Anna McClung broke through with her first collegiate goal late in the first half and Marta Bakowska-Mathews closed out the scoring on Thursday night with her second goal in as many games.
The Florida State defense was once again up for the challenge limiting Miami to just one shot as the Seminoles posted their league leading eighth shutout of the season. The Garnet & Gold have allowed just three goals through the first 11 matches and only one over the last 617:54.
Florida State outshot Miami 17-1 for the match including an 11-0 margin in the first half. Miami's lone shot did not come until the 78th minute when Betsy Middleton fired a low-liner from just inside the 18-yard box, but the ball was blocked by Kirsten Crowley.
No. 5 Notre Dame 5, No. 21 Maryland 0
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sophomore forward Cari Roccaro registered her first career hat trick, with the final goal set up by fellow Islander Karin Simonian, as No. 5 Notre Dame rolled to a 5-0 win against No. 21 Maryland in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action on Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
Roccaro's hat trick was the first by a Fighting Irish player since Oct. 21, 2011, when Melissa Henderson tied the school record with four goals in a home win against DePaul. What's more, Thursday's five-goal outburst was Notre Dame's largest against a ranked opponent in exactly three years, dating back to a 5-0 win at No. 24 Louisville.
Sophomore forwards Crystal Thomas and Anna Maria Gilbertson added goals in the first and second halves, respectively, with Thomas driving a dagger into the Terrapins, scoring with six seconds left in the opening half to give the Fighting Irish a 2-0 lead after Maryland (6-4, 2-2 ACC) hit the crossbar moments earlier.
Aside from that close call with the woodwork, freshman goalkeeper Kaela Little was largely untested by a Maryland side that was coming off a 1-0 win against No. 9 Wake Forest four days earlier. Little only had to make one save in the first 67:15, before giving way to junior netminder Sarah Voigt, who didn't record a save in completing Notre Dame's third consecutive shutout and fourth in the past five matches.
The Fighting Irish (8-1, 4-0 ACC) finished with a comfortable edge in all statistical categories, including total shots (15-5), shots on goal (9-1) and corner kicks (2-0). Notre Dame also was called for nine of the 14 fouls in the contest, while each team was issued one yellow card.
No. 6 North Carolina 1, Pittsburgh 0
PITTSBURGH -- Sixth-ranked North Carolina outshot Pittsburgh 34-4 Thursday night en route to a 1-0 victory against Pittsburgh at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Tar Heels won their second consecutive and stayed in the race for the ACC regular-season championship by improving to 3-2 in the league and 9-2 overall. Pitt fell to 4-6-1 and 0-5 in the ACC with the loss to the Tar Heels.
The difference proved to be a goal by UNC sophomore Paige Nielsen who tallied in the ninth minute of the game off an assist by sophomore midfielder Katie Bowen.
Despite barraging the Pittsburgh goal with 17 shots in each half, the Tar Heels were unable to finish a second opportunity but the early goal was enough to achieve the victory.
The difference proved to be a goal by UNC sophomore Paige Nielsen who tallied in the ninth minute of the game off an assist by sophomore midfielder Katie Bowen.
Despite barraging the Pittsburgh goal with 17 shots in each half, the Tar Heels were unable to finish a second opportunity but the early goal was enough to achieve the victory.
No. 8 Penn State 6, Purdue 1
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Eighth-ranked Penn State used six goals from five different players en route to a dominant 6-1 victory against Purdue on Thursday night. Raquel Rodriguez, Kori Chapic, Maya Hayes, Tani Costa and Kindrah Kohne each scored for the Nittany Lions.
PSU (8-1-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) extends its winning streak to seven-consecutive matches and maintains its perfect record for the month of September. Thursday night's match marks the second time that the Blue and White have notched six goals this season and the first time that they have had two six-goal matches since 2010. The Lions also sent six into the back of the net in their 6-0 win at Bucknell on Sept. 10.
Penn State's offense was not the only impressive part of the match as the defensive unit held the Boilermakers (5-4-1, 0-2-0) to just one shot for the entire game.
The Boilermakers evened the score in the 16th minute as forward Maddy Williams tallied her seventh goal of the year.
Boston College 1, No. 9 Wake Forest 0
NEWTON, Mass. -- Ninth-ranked Wake Forest was again unable to muster a goal on the road, falling to Boston College 1-0 on Thursday in Newton, Mass.
McKenzie Meehan scored for the Eagles (5-5, 2-3 ACC) in the 23rd minute and it was enough to give BC the win as the Demon Deacons (7-2-1, 2-2-1 ACC) came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline for the second game in a row.
Wake Forest goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe kept the Demon Deacons in the game with a season-high eight saves, but the offense was unable to find the back of the net. The Eagles outshot the Demon Deacons 16-6.
Meehan's goal was scored from eight yards out off of an assist by Lauren Bernard.
No. 10 Georgetown 1, DePaul 1
WASHINGTON -- Georgetown fell behind early, but tied the game in the second half and had a 20-shot advantage overall, but could not get the go-ahead goal as the Hoyas played to a 1-1 double overtime draw with DePaul in the Big East Conference opener for both teams at Shaw Field on Thursday evening.
The Hoyas, ranked No. 10 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association, are now 8-0-2 this season and 0-0-1 in the league, while DePaul is 6-1-2 and 0-0-1. The tie extends Georgetown's unbeaten streak to 10 games, tying the school record set by the 2008 team. It also extended the team's unbeaten streak at home to 18 games, dating back to the 2011 season.
DePaul took only two shots in the first half, but the Blue Demons took advantage of their first, scoring in the second minute to take a 1-0 lead they held through the start of the second half. After controlling the opening kickoff, Elise Wyatt sent a thru ball from the top left of the box to Ashleigh Goddard. Goddard was planted on the close left side of the box and she snuck a shot that dribbled past junior goalkeeper Emma Newins at 1:41, giving the Blue Demons the lead.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, the Hoyas attacked early and often. A shot from Corboz was saved by Godinez in the opening minute of action. Georgetown had three corner kicks over the next minutes and it was on the third that the team finally connected. Corboz took the corner from the near side and sent her shot to the near post where senior defender Mary Kroening headed it past Godinez at 57:16, tying the game.
Georgetown out-shot DePaul, 26-5, including 5-0 in the overtime periods (4-0 in the first) and held a 17-2 advantage in corner kicks.
