University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Boston College
Carolina Women's Soccer Advances To ACC Finals
November 7, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2008
CARY, N.C. - Goals by Nikki Washington and Casey Nogueira powered the fourth-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over 10th-ranked Boston College Friday night in the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals at Wake Med Soccer Park. The Tar Heels improved to 18-1-2 on the season before a crowd of 2,410 while Boston College fell to 13-5-2.
The top-seeded Tar Heels will go after their 19th ACC Tournament championship Sunday at 1 p.m. at Wake Med Soccer Park against No. 7 seed Virginia Tech. The Hokies have advanced to the finals by prevailing in penalty kick shootouts with No. 2 seed Florida State and No. 3 seed Virginia in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Sunday's game will be televised on the ACC's Regional Sports Network with Mike Hogewood doing the play-by-play.
Carolina is now 20-0-1 in ACC Tournament semifinals and UNC has now advanced to the championship match of the conference tournament in every year since the first tournament was played in 1988.
The Tar Heels outshot the Eagles 18-4 and the play of goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni kept the Eagles in the game until near the end. Mastroianni made nine saves, many of the acrobat variety.
UNC opened the scoring at 32:01 of the game on Nikki Washington's fifth goal of the season. Sophomore Meghan Klingenberg served a ball from the right side to freshman Brittani Bartok at the top of the box. Bartok gained possession and then pushed the ball to her right to the onrushing Washington who powered the ball past the BC keeper inside the left post from eight yards out. Washington's initial touch on the ball appeared to get away from her but she recovered quickly and blasted a shot that eluded Mastroianni.
The Tar Heels outshot the Eagles 8-2 in the first half. Anna Rodenbough did not have to make a save in the opening half for UNC while Mastroianni made three saves in the opening 45 minutes, all on shots by Yael Averbuch.
The first two shots on frame in the second half came from the Eagles. After Ashlyn Harris came on in relief of Rodenbough at halftime she was quickly tested by Hannah Cerrone at the 46:22 mark. Neither team had another shot until 55:46 when Kelly Henderson's dangerous shot from a tough angle was saved by Harris. From that point on, UNC did not allow the Eagles to take a shot in the final 34:14 of the game.
Carolina then picked up the pace and took the final 10 shots of the match, forcing Mastroianni to make six saves but the ninth of the 10 shots got by the Boston College keeper to give the Tar Heels separation.
The most exciting stretch of the match came in an 11-second span in the 79th minute. Averbuch's initial shot at 78:13 was saved by Mastroianni. Tobin Heath pounced on the rebound and her shot six seconds later was also saved. The ball bounced out to Nogueira who unleashed a rocket with clanged hard off the right post.
Just over a minute later, Mastroianni made another diving save on a free kick taken by Nogueira at 79:48.
Eventually the Tar Heels broke through for the 2-0 lead at 83:53. Nogueria won possession in the center of the field and fed Klingenberg who took the ball deep into the right corner. Klingenberg's cross was perfectly placed to Nogueira who was unmarked at the six-yard line. The ACC's Offensive Player of the Year trapped the ball and then directed her shot inside the right post for her 20th goal of the season.
