No. 1 Virginia 1, No. 3 Florida State 0 (OT)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Top-ranked Virginia won a matchup of the only two unbeaten teams in the country, downing No. 3 Florida State 1-0 in overtime Sunday in front of a school-record 3,894 fans at Klöckner Stadium. Senior midfielder Annie Steinlage scored her first goal as a Cavalier in the 91st minute as Virginia (18-0, 12-0 ACC) remained perfect on the season. The Seminoles (14-1-3, 9-1-2 ACC) suffered their first loss of the season. The victory clinched Virginia's first ACC regular-season title.
"I am really proud of this team and I am really proud of these fans," head coach Steve Swanson said. "You couldn't ask for a better result for us and this community that has given us so much support. It was a hard-fought game. Florida State is an excellent team and is very organized. Our players worked hard and fought and carried the play at times. I am so happy for Annie to get her first goal as a Cavalier in this setting."
The Cavaliers controlled play in the first half and almost took the lead in the ninth minute. A defensive miscue by the Seminoles set up a breakaway for sophomore Makenzy Doniak, who fired a shot off the outside of the near post. The remainder of the first half saw few chances and the game went to intermission scoreless with the Cavaliers recording all five shots during the first 45 minutes.
Virginia continued to have the advantage in chances and possession in the second half, but couldn't find the go-ahead goal in regulation. Despite a 13-1 shot advantage for Virginia, the contest headed to overtime.
The Cavaliers wasted little time in overtime to score the game winner, as Steinlage found the back of the net just 54 seconds into extra time. Junior midfielder Morgan Brian collected a ball at the top of the box and found senior defender Molly Menchel on the flank. Menchel sent a cross that Steinlage corralled, turned and fired inside the near post for her first goal of the season. After playing her first three seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Virginia, Steinlage's golden goal was her first in a Cavalier uniform.
Overall, Virginia outshot Florida State 14-1 and had a 7-2 corner kick advantage. First-year keeper Morgan Stearns didn't record a save while posting her seventh shutout of the season and the 12th shutout overall for the Cavalier defense. Kelsey Wys made four saves at the other end for the Seminoles.
No. 2 UCLA 1, Colorado 0
BOULDER, Colo. -- Reserve forward Kodi Lavrusky gave second-ranked UCLA all the offense it needed with a 56th minute goal, as the Pac-12-leading Bruins defeated Colorado 1-0 on the road Sunday to maintain control in the conference race. UCLA's record improves to 14-1-2 and 6-0-1 in the Pac-12, while Colorado falls to 12-4-1, 4-3-1.
Lavrusky's goal was set up by Sarah Killion, who passed between two defenders to Sam Mewis just outside the box. Mewis sent a through ball into the box for Lavrusky, who got past the defender and beat Colorado goalkeeper Annie Brunner with a low shot to the right corner. The goal was Lavrusky's third of the season.
The Bruins kept the shutout, their 11th of the season, thanks to strong team defense and outstanding goalkeeping by Katelyn Rowland, who notched her ninth shutout. Rowland had four saves, including a huge one early in the game. After a corner kick, Colorado had a chance in the box but could not get a shot off. The Buffaloes, however, maintained possession and crossed the ball into the box on the left side, where Brie Hooks got a head on the ball near post, but Rowland instinctively reached back and stopped the shot with her right hand. Rowland also had another big save in the 81st minute. After Colorado was given a free kick just outside the box, Anne Stuller curved a shot around the wall that was on target, but Rowland leaped high to tip it over the goal. UCLA outshot Colorado in the game, 14-7, and had several chances that missed just wide or were saved by Brunner, who finished with seven saves.
No. 4 Virginia Tech 1, Miami (Fla.) 0
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Freshman Murielle Tiernan’s close-range goal in the 14th minute proved to be enough for Virginia Tech, as the No. 4 Hokies earned a 1-0 win against visiting Miami (Fla.) on Sunday afternoon.
Tech entered the match needing a win or draw to secure a home match in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament next Sunday, but earned the full three points to maintain a hold on the third seed in the ACC.
“I’m proud of the girls and the effort they gave today,” head coach Chugger Adair said. “I think they worked hard and deserved the result. There are some things we should improve upon -- we need to be sharper in the attacking third -- but, at the end of the day, three points at home in the ACC is always a good thing.”
Tech’s third corner kick, in the 14th minute, would prove to be the decisive play. Junior Jodie Zelenky whipped in a low corner kick from the left side that found the foot of Tiernan six yards from goal. She needed only a single touch, as she flicked home a shot with the outside of her right foot that slipped inside the left post and gave the Hokies the 1-0 lead.
Dayle Colpitts tallied three saves en route to the victory. The win also marked Colpitts’ eighth shutout of the year, setting a Virginia Tech record for shutouts in a single season.
Tara Schwitter took four shots on the day to pace the Hurricanes’ offense, while Emily Lillard recorded a trio of saves in the loss.
With the victory, Tech moves to 14-2-2 on the season, including a 9-2-1 mark in the ACC. The win also clinches a home match in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament on Sunday, Nov. 3. Miami falls to 8-8-1 in 2013, with a 3-8-1 record against conference foes.
No. 5 North Carolina 2, No. 22 Wake Forst 1 (OT)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- North Carolina had to come from behind Sunday afternoon to defeat No. 22 Wake Forest 2-1 at W. Dennis Spry Stadium. The fifth-ranked Tar Heels got an unassisted goal by Kealia Ohai in the 98th minute for the victory.
UNC improves to 15-3 on the season and 9-3 in the ACC. Wake Forest fell to 10-5-2 and 5-5-2 in the ACC. Carolina clinched home field advantage in the ACC tournament quarterfinals next Sunday with the win.
UNC outshot the Demon Deacons 19-3 and had a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.
Wake Forest took the lead on a strike by Riley Ridgik in the 28th minute as she took the ball after a spill by a UNC defender and powered a shot into the upper left corner of the frame from 25 yards out.
Carolina got the equalizer at 50:56 as Summer Green beat her defender on the end line and centered to Crystal Dunn for the tying goal. It was Dunn's 12th goal of the season.
Despite an 11-2 edge in shots in the second half, UNC was unable to gain the game winner.
That changed at 97:14 when Ohai notched her eighth goal of the season. Amber Munerlyn did most of the work on the goal, keeping control at midfield and carrying the ball deep into the left side of the box. A Wake Forest defender was able to momentarily gain control but couldn't clear it Ohai stole the ball five yards in front of the goal and finished inside the left post.
No. 7 Florida 2, Texas A&M 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Freshman forward Savannah Jordan has scored six goals during a winning streak the seventh-ranked Gators stretched to six matches Sunday with a 2-0 home defeat of Texas A&M.
Jordan’s total is six more than UF’s opponents have scored during the run of a half-dozen victories, and nearly four weeks without giving up a goal.
Since losing 2-1 in double-overtime against South Carolina on Oct. 4, the Gators have played the last 559 minutes without surrendering a goal, outscoring Auburn, Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee and A&M by an aggregate score of 15-0, with the latest conquest pulling UF (14-3-1, 8-2) into a dead heat atop the Southeastern Conference standings.
Not only did the Aggies (13-4-1, 8-2) start the day a game up on the Gators in the league race, but riding an eight-game streak during which they’d outscored opponents 26-8.
But the combination of Florida’s defense, ranked second in the SEC (at 0.57 goals-against-average) and Jordan, the runaway rookie freight train who scored a pair of second-half goals, knotted things into a dead-heat for the conference’s regular-season crown with one regular-season match to go.
The game’s defining play came midway through the second half when UF sophomore center back Christen Westphal and outside back Tessa Andujar smothered Aggies forward Bianca Brinson on the wing. Westphal tapped the ball free and found herself with no A&M player within 10 yards of her.
Up the sideline Westphal went, free for about 50 yards and five touches worth, before knocking a perfect feed onto Jordan’s left foot. Jordan hammered the pass home for her second goal in a nine-minute span of the second half.
No. 8 Stanford 4, Oregon State 1
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Stanford scored three goals in the first 23 minutes on its way to a 4-1 Pac-12 victory against Oregon State on Sunday.
Four different players scored for No. 8 Stanford (12-3-1, 5-3), which extended its winning streak to three since a rare three-loss streak. A header by Lo’eau LaBonta opened the scoring in the eighth minute, followed by goals from Sydney Payne (11th) and Alex Doll (23rd). After Oregon State (5-10-2, 3-4-1) drew within 3-1, Chioma Ubogagu closed the scoring in the 90th minute.
“This team is playing to its strengths and getting better with each game,” head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “We had a rough patch, but we came through it a much stronger team.”
No. 10 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Tenth-ranked Michigan tied a program record for longest winning streak (seven), downing Northwestern 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field. Sophomore Cassie Collins, senior Meghan Toohey and freshman Nicky Waldeck scored a goal each, while freshman Taylor Bucklin made five saves for her second consecutive shutout.
The Wolverines remain in second place in the Big Ten at 25 points (8-1-1) with one game remaining. Michigan is two points behind conference leader Nebraska (27 points, 9-1-0), which defeated Penn State, 3-2, in double overtime on Sunday to remain in first.
Michigan broke through in the 42nd minute on a set piece. After Northwestern was called for a foul, Collins found the ball outside the 18-yard box on the restart, firing a low shot that went past Sam Hartfield and into the back of the net. Sophomore Corinne Harris was credited with an assist on the play. At the half, Michigan led Northwestern on the scoreboard and in all major categories, including shots (14-1), shots on goal (6-1) and corners (3-0).
In the 65th minute, Toohey added another strike, successfully converting a penalty kick after a hand ball was called against a Northwestern defender in the box. Toohey put her shot low and Hartfield guessed incorrectly, giving Michigan the goal and increasing the lead.
Waldeck tallied an insurance goal in the match's final moments, scoring her third goal of the season in the 86th minute. Toohey started the play, passing the ball to freshman Madisson Lewis. She then slotted the ball to Waldeck, who placed her shot into the back of the net from inside the box on the left side.
