No. 1 Virginia 2, No. 4 North Carolina 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The top-ranked Virginia recorded its second top-five win of the season by downing No. 4 North Carolina 2-0 Sunday at Fetzer Field. The Cavaliers (16-0, 10-0 ACC) tied a school record with their 16th consecutive victory, while the Tar Heels fell to 13-3 overall and 7-3 in the conference.
Sophomores Brittany Ratcliffe and Makenzy Doniak scored for the Cavaliers, who handed North Carolina just its second multi-goal loss since 1986, a span of 690 games.
"North Carolina has always been a great team and we always know this is going to be a good game," Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said. "It was a different kind of game. They do some different things, so we have to prepare for that. There weren't many chances out there for both teams, but we took our chances well. It was a tough game today, but I was proud with how we competed and we tried to put some pieces of good soccer together at times."
The Cavaliers took the lead in the 13th minute of play on the game's first shot. A cross from junior Danielle Colaprico found Ratcliffe inside the 6-yard box and she tapped the ball inside the post for her 11th goal of the season. That was the only goal of the opening 45 minutes as Virginia took the 1-0 lead into intermission.
The second half featured few chances either way, just like the first half, but Virginia capitalized on one in the 84th minute. Sophomore defender Emily Sonnett won a ball in the midfield and threaded a pass to Doniak, who scored off the breakaway for her team-leading 12th goal of the season.
With the victory, Virginia clinches a home game in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament in two weeks. The Cavaliers also became the first team to win at North Carolina in three consecutive seasons as well as the first school to win at all four Tobacco Road schools in the same season.
Both teams played the game with out their leading scorer as Virginia junior midfielder Morgan Brian and North Carolina senior midfielder Crystal Dunn played for the United States in the Americans' 4-0 friendly win against Australia in San Antonio.
"It was difficult not having both Crystal and Morgan here," Swanson said. "I think the game lost something because of that. But we both understand that that is their future and we support that."
Overall, Virginia outshot North Carolina 6-4 in the contest, as the Tar Heels tied their school record for fewest shots in a game, set in last year's ACC quarterfinal against the Cavaliers. First-year Morgan Stearns made two saves in goal for Virginia to post her sixth shutout of the season. Bryane Heaberlin and Anna Sieloff each made one save during a half in goal for North Carolina.
No. 3 Florida State 2, Maryland 1
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Third-ranked Florida State (13-0-3, 8-0-2 ACC) scored a goal in each half and then held off a late threat from Maryland (8-8-0, 4-6-0 ACC) to remain unbeaten on the year with a 2-1 victory against the Terps on Sunday afternoon inside the Seminole Soccer Complex.
FSU's Icelandic duo of Berglind Thorvaldsdottir and Dagny Brynjarsdottir each a scored a goal in the win as the Seminoles remained unbeaten at home this year running the nation's longest current home unbeaten streak to 29 games (28-0-1).
The victory on Sunday avenged the last home loss for Florida State when Maryland came to Tallahassee back on Oct. 13, 2011 and defeated the Noles 3-0. FSU out shot Maryland 21-3 in that match, but the Terps converted on all three shots for the win.
With the win, Florida State kept pace with Virginia, who defeated North Carolina on Sunday, near the top of the ACC standings. The Seminoles currently sit in second place with 26 points, four points shy of the first-place Cavaliers (30 points).
Brynjarsdottir led the Noles with three shots on the afternoon, while Michaela Hahn and Carson Pickett each attempted two shots.
Kelsey Wys picked up the win as she played all 90 minutes between the posts and registered a save.
No. 8 Florida 3, LSU 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida collected its second 3-0 win of the weekend, defeating LSU on Sunday afternoon at the James G. Pressly Stadium.
Savannah Jordan scored her first of two opening-half goals when she connected with a fellow freshman. The ball from Pamela BegiÄŤ found Jordan in the box; Jordan and her defender challenged for the ball but Jordan won the joust to place the ball in from 12 yards. Later in the half, Jordan received the box, took a couple of touches to make space and then placed a low 16-yard shot to the far corner. The goals up her season total to 15.
A free kick just above the box pushed the Gator lead to 3-0. The Tigers were whistled for a hand ball just above the box. Junior Annie Speese’s shot dipped over the wall and into the goal to give the Gators’ season assist co-leader her first goal of 2013 and the 15th of her career.
No. 7 South Carolina 1, No. 24 Mississippi 1, 2OT
OXFORD, Miss. -- Olivia Harrison delivered her fifth goal of the season, putting the equalizing ball in the net in the 76th minute as No. 24 Ole Miss (12-3-2, 5-2-1 SEC) rallied to play No. 7 South Carolina (12-2-2, 5-2-1 SEC) to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes on Sunday.
Sophomore Jennifer Miller played a perfect pass to Harrison, sending the ball into the box from the 25 yards out on the far side and split a pair of defenders to the feet of Harrison. She then took the shot, sending the ball into the net near the far post to knot the match at one.
South Carolina got on the board first, putting the ball in the net in the sixth minute when Chelsea Drennan gathered a ball of a deflection on an attempted clearance by the Rebels. She sent the ball into the goal from inside the box and put the visiting team out to the early lead.
The Rebels kept South Carolina from inflicting any more damage, fending off several attacks in a high-pressure first half that saw the Gamecocks notch nine shots to none for Ole Miss.
The second half was a different story, however, as the Rebels bore down and attacked the Gamecock defense. Finally, that pressure paid off with the Harrison goal in the 76th minute as Ole Miss outshot South Carolina 7-4 in the second period.
