CARY, N.C. (theACC.com) – Even after its two-goal lead evaporated in the second half, seventh-seeded Florida State refused to be denied in Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Championship title game.
Kristina Lynch’s goal off a pass from Dallas Dorosy with 6:34 remaining lifted the Seminoles to a 3-2 win over top-seeded North Carolina before a crowd of 2,580 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.
While becoming the lowest seeded to win an ACC Women’s Soccer Championship, the nationally seventh-ranked Seminoles (15-4-2) captured their fifth league title in six years and secured their sixth championship overall (all since 2011). Florida State had previously won the tournament as a No. 6 seed in 2011 and 2016 (the Seminoles were also ranked among the nation’s top 10 each of those seasons).
The assist on the game-winning goal capped a stellar afternoon for Dorosy, who had staked the Seminoles to a 2-0 halftime lead with her third and fourth goals of the season. Dorosy, who was named the tournament MVP, came off the bench on Sunday to log 46 minutes.
“How about that?” FSU coach Mark Krikorian marveled. “Dallas has been a four-year player, and she has worked very hard to help us throughout the years. She embraces her role, and she enjoys going out there and competing and helping to lift the team. She’s a great team member, and it couldn’t happen for a better kid.”
Dorosy’s first goal came with 9:26 remaining in the opening half, when she took a pass from Jaelin Howell and lined a shot home from 15 yards out for a 1-0 Seminole lead.
The second score came at the 4:14 mark, when Dorosy was on the spot as the ball bounced about in front of the net and tapped in her fourth goal of the season from close range.
In addition to building a 2-0 lead at the break, Florida State outshot UNC 8-3 in the first 45 minutes. The Tar Heels held a 3-2 edge on corner kicks.
To place the Seminole’s first-half showing in deeper perspective:
- It marked only the 25th game in UNC program history (955 contests) that the Tar Heels had trailed by two goals or more goals.
- Dorosy’s first goal ended Tar Heel goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak’s school-record scoreless streak at 1,119 minutes and 23 seconds.
- It marked the first goal Leshnak had allowed since the third game of the season on Aug. 22 versus Texas.
- It marked the first time UNC had trailed since Sept. 29 versus Louisville and the first time the Tar Heels had been scored against since Oct. 7 versus Syracuse.
UNC (17-3-1) got on the board with just under 28 minutes remaining, shortly after starting Florida State goalkeeper Brooke Bollinger exited the match with a shoulder injury.
Tar Heel senior Alex Kimball blocked an attempted clear by the Seminoles, and then won a foot race with FSU reserve keeper Caroline Jeffers to knock the ball into the goal on a sliding attempt to cut the FSU’s lead to 2-1.
The Tar Heels tied the score with 18:21 remaining when Rachel Jones ran down the ball in the left corner and launched a picture-perfect cross to the far side, where teammate Ru Mucherera headed it home to knot the score at 2-2.
It was the second key play in as many games for Jones, who also had the assist on UNC’s lone goal in Friday night’s 1-0 semifinal win over Clemson.
“I certainly had faith in the character of my kids,” UNC coach Anson Dorrance said. “I felt that if we fell behind we would try to fight back. I was certainly happy with that demonstration of character.”
Momentum had indeed shifted but, as it turned out, not decisively. The Seminoles regrouped and battled on even terms for the next 12 minutes until Dorosy and Lynch teamed up on what proved to be the game-winner. Dorosy gained control on right side on a pass from Kaycie Tillman and delivered a cross into the box that Lynch sent home for her fourth goal of the year.
“I knew I needed to get the cross off,” Dorosy said. “I lobbed it in there, and luckily my teammate got on the (other) end of it.”
Both of Sunday’s ACC finalists are hopeful of prime seeding when the NCAA tournament field is announced late Monday afternoon. Both the Seminoles and Tar Heels have built strong, legitimate cases for No. 1 regional seeding.
“I don’t know if anybody in the country has beaten as many top teams as we have,” Krikorian said. “I don’t really know about the criteria for the (NCAA) committee. We just pay attention to preparing our team for going out and competing.
“We’ll let the committee do their job, and I hope the NCAA will look at our resume favorably and give us a fair shake. They have every other year I’ve been at Florida State. I’ve never looked at it and felt like we have been treated anything but fairly.”
2018 ACC Women’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team
Sam Staab, Clemson
Alexa Spaanstra, Virginia
Brianna Pinto, North Carolina
Taylor Otto, North Carolina
Alex Kimball, North Carolina
Julia Ashley, North Carolina
Denya Castellanos, Florida State
Jaelin Howell, Florida State
Natalia Kuikka, Florida State
Kristen McFarland, Florida State
Dallas Dorosy, Florida State - MVP