University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
Golden Goal By Guess Delivers ACC Title To Carolina
November 5, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 5, 2006
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CARY, N.C. - Elizabeth Guess continued her post-season theatrics Sunday evening as she scored the game-winning goal in the 99th minute, giving No. 1-ranked North Carolina a 2-1 victory over No. 6 Florida State in the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Tournament championship game at SAS Soccer Park. Carolina's ACC Tournament title is its 17th since the tournament's inception in 1988. The only two years Carolina did not win the championship it was denied the crown in penalty kick shootouts after playing to overtime ties in the championship match.
The goal by Guess was the 29th of her Tar Heel career, 14 of which have come in games in either the ACC and NCAA Tournament. She was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player in the process. She scored the game-winning goals in this year's ACC Tournament semifinal win over Clemson Friday as well as in Sunday's match.
The game-winning goal was set up when junior defender Jessica Maxwell claimed possession after an FSU turnover and dribbled the ball into the FSU half of the field. UNC worked the ball up the left side where Guess got possession. Guess fed Whitney Engen, the tournament's leading scorer with seven points, outside the penalty area. Engen then touched a through ball that slid behind the Florida State back line. Guess ran on to the pass and sent a shot from 14 yards out on the left side into the right side of the upper right of the frame past FSU goalkeeper Ali Mims, who recorded a season-high 11 saves in the match.
The goal by Guess ended the third overtime game in ACC Tournament history and gave Carolina its second 2-1 victory of the season over the Seminoles, whose only other loss was at Duke. The win was Carolina's 21st in a row this season since the Tar Heels dropped their season opener at Texas A&M 1-0 in double overtime. UNC earned the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out its tournament seeding and first-round opponent Monday afternoon when the full bracket is announced live on ESPNews between 3 and 4 p.m.
UNC (21-1) outshot the Seminoles (14-3-4) 21-5 and the Tar Heels had 10 corner kicks to zero for the Seminoles. Mims made 11 saves for FSU while allowing the two goals. Anna Rodenbough went the distance for UNC, making one save and allowing one goal, only the eighth Carolina has allowed all year.
Carolina had the first great chance to score in the match at 11:25 as Nikki Washington sent a corner kick from the right side far post where Engen had a header that Mims was just able to tip out of harm's way. Just over four minutes later, Guess got herself free in the box but her shot from the 10-yard line went straight at Mims and the score remained 0-0.
At 18:15, FSU's Kelly Rowland had Florida State's first shot of the match after Anna Rodenbough had to quickly retreat to her line after the ball got by the UNC defense on the right side. But Rowland's strike from outside the box sailed just wide to the left. At 25:22, FSU's India Trotter got behind the UNC defense but the Tar Heel defenders closed hard and Trotter's shot from just inside the penalty area was saved by Rodenbough.
UNC's Robyn Gayle had another solid chance to put the Tar Heels up in the 35th minute as she dribbled into the box unmarked. But her shot was turned aside by Mims. The teams went to the locker room in a scoreless tie despite the Tar Heels' first half edge in shots of 11-3.
It was Florida State that seized the momentum coming out of the locker room. At 50:45, India Trotter put the Seminoles up 1-0. A through ball from Florida State's defensive half by Becky Edwards found Trotter for a breakaway which she finished into the lower right corner just inside the post. Rodenbough did get her fingertips on the shot but not enough to stop it. It was Trotter's sixth goal of the year and she has now tallied the Florida State goal that has been scored by the Seminoles in each of its last four matches against UNC.
It did not take long for UNC to get the equalizer. In fact, it came on the next shot of the match. Florida State was called for a foul on a dangerous play at the 20-yard line, just outside the FSU box. The foul resulted in an indirect free kick for the Tar Heels. Ali Hawkins touched the ball as Yael Averbuch made her approach and Carolina's leading scorer sent the shot into the lower left 90 past Mims to tie the game. It was Averbuch's 12th goal of the campaign.
At 63:10, FSU had its last shot of the game and it came on a dangerous opportunity that found Kelly Rowland open at the 18-yard line in front of the Carolina goal. But Rowland's shot went wide right and the score remained tied.
The last six shots of regulation were taken by the Tar Heels as they dominated possession the remainder of the half. At 66:42, Heather O'Reilly sent a cross from the far left side that Nikki Washington ran on to far post only to see her tip-in attempt saved by Mims.
At 80:36, Tobin Heath got free in the left side of the box and she hit a shot with incredible pace from about 12 yards away. Mims was able to knock it down but was unable to hold it. The ball squirted over the end line before the Tar Heels could pounce on the rebound, however.
At 81:38, Robyn Gayle had another great opportunity for the Tar Heels to take the lead as she ran on to a ball in the box behind the FSU defense only to see her shot hit off the cross bar.
In the overtime period, a foul on Carolina in the 96th minute allowed the Seminoles to launch a long ball into the box but Rodenbough came out to grab the ball away from Rowland and take away any FSU scoring chance.
Less than three minutes later Guess ended the match with her third goal of the season. The goal was the eighth in ACC Tournament history for Guess, which ranks fifth all-time. Her 22 points are sixth in tournament history. Engen was the tournament's points lead with seven points while Guess had six.
The All-Tournament Team included Guess as well as Tar Heels Whitney Engen, Jessica Maxwell, Yael Averbuch, Heather O'Reilly and Robyn Gayle, Florida State's Ali Mims, Kelly Rowland, Mami Yamaguchi and India Trotter and Clemson's Meghan Smith.
