Tar Heels Drop Heartbreaker In ACC Tournament Final

Sunday, November 4

Cary, N.C. (WakeMed Soccer Park)

12 p.m.

North Carolina

17-3-1

Florida State

15-4-2

Florida State

North Carolina

Ru Mucherera scored a spectacular game-tying goal in the 72nd minute.

November 4, 2018 | Women's Soccer

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FSU prevails on late goal.

By: Dave Lohse

CARY, N.C. – Kristina Lynch scored the game-winning goal with 6:34 to play to lift seventh-ranked Florida State to a 3-2 victory over third-ranked North Carolina in the championship game of the 2018 ACC Women's Soccer Tournament Sunday afternoon. A crowd of 2,580 fans at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park watched the tournament finale.

Florida State improved to 15-4-2 on the season with the victory while the Tar Heels saw their 12-match winning streak end and they are now 17-3-1 heading into the NCAA Tournament. UNC will host an NCAA first-round game next Saturday at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park at 1 p.m. The official NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced Monday at 4:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

The first half of Sunday's game was dominated by Florida State as the Seminoles outshot the Tar Heels 8-3 and took a 2-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. Dallas Dorosy, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored both first half goals for Florida State. At 35:29, she tallied on a shot from the right corner of the penalty box 15 yards out off an assist by Jaelin Howell. Dorosy got free behind the Tar Heel defense and found herself all alone in the box, slipping a shot inside the far post past UNC goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak. That was the first goal allowed in 1119 minutes and 23 seconds by Leshnak. The senior goalkeeper had not conceded a goal since the second minute of the game against Texas on August 24 and in the process had established a school record for the longest streak without allowing a goal by a single UNC goalkeeper, breaking a mark which had stood since 1987.

Florida State doubled its lead at 40:46 of the match as Dorosy scored her second goal of the game, scoring off a cross that bounced around the box before she was able to put it away. The two-goal deficit marked only the 25^th time in 955 games in Tar Heel women's soccer history that Carolina had ever trailed in a game by more than one goal.

UNC did not go away quietly, however. At 61:33, Florida State starting goalkeeper Brooke Bollinger went out of the game after injuring herself as she fell to the ground after grabbing a cross out of the air off the foot of Madison Schultz. Just 1:01 later, reserve goalkeeper Caroline Jeffers saw her clearing attempt knocked down by Tar Heel forward Alex Kimball. The ball ricocheted over the goal line, giving Kimball her third goal of the season and cutting UNC's deficit to 2-1.

Carolina tied on the game at 71:38 on brilliant hustle plays by forwards Rachel Jones and Ru Mucherera. Jones beat a Florida State defender on a 50-50 ball after an FSU clearance and dribbled into the deep left corner. Jones delivered a perfect cross to the far post and Mucherera outleaped her defender to head home the game-tying tally. It was Mucherera's first goal of the campaign.

Florida State earned the game-winner at 83:26 as Lynch tapped home a shot from in close after taking a pass from the right end line by Dorosy.

Both UNC and Florida State finished with 10 shots in the game. UNC had four corner kicks to two for the Seminoles. Leshnak made two saves for Carolina while the two Florida State goalkeepers combined for two saves.

Midfielders Brianna Pinto and Taylor Otto, forward Alex Kimball and defender Julia Ashley were all named to the All-ACC Tournament Team.