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CHARLOTTESVILLE The No. 14 Virginia women’s soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 ACC Tournament with a 3-2 double overtime victory over No. 24 Wake Forest Wednesday night at the WakeMed Soccer Park. Sinead Farrelly’s (Havertown, Pa.) goal in the 105th minute lifted the Cavaliers to the quarterfinal win.
“I am really proud of the team for this victory,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “To come back from down a goal in the first half and to rebound from their equalizer late in regulation to win it in overtime shows the character of this team.”
The Demon Deacons (12-7-0) took advantage of one of their few chances in the first half in the 17th minute as Amy Smerdzinski’s blast to the far post from 25 yards out gave Wake a 1-0 lead. The Cavaliers continued to pressure the other end but couldn’t take advantage of a 11-3 shot advantage in the first half as Wake goalkeeper Laura Morse made seven of her career-high 11 saves before halftime.
“To play as good as we did in the first half and be down 1-0 at the break was tough,” said Swanson. “We did a good job of just continuing to pressure in the second half and the goals came.”
The Cavaliers (13-4-2) equalized in the 49th minute as Sarah Senty (Arlington, Va.) sent a cross to the far side that angled into the far corner of the net for her first goal of the season. Virginia took the lead in the 76th minute after a foul near the corner set up a free kick opportunity. Amanda Stewart’s (West Chester, Pa.) free kick found the head of Alli Fries (Dublin, Ohio), who notched her third goal of the season. The Demon Deacons pressured late and got the equalizer in the 89th minute. After their fourth consecutive corner kick, Kristina Hanley had a ball come to her near the penalty spot and she turned a fired in her first goal of the season.
In the overtime periods, the Cavaliers controlled the ball and the chances outshooting the Demon Deacons 7-0 in extra time. In the 105th minute, Senty threaded a ball into the box to Farrelly, who turned and sent a shot that hit the inside of the far post and bounced in.
“I am so happy for Sinead,” said Swanson. “She does so much for our team that doesn’t often appear on the stat sheet. We have encouraged her to take some more chances offensively and she stepped up with a huge goal for us tonight.”
“Senty slipped me a ball and when I turned I saw I had the defender on me,” said Farrelly. “I faked the first shot, got a little space and sent a shot that hit the post and went in. It was just an incredible feeling to see it go in. It was a great team effort and we never got down on ourselves. We were confident that we would get the game-winner.”
Overall, Virginia had a 23-7 shot advantage and a 12-5 corner kick advantage. Celeste Miles (Garland, Texas) made two saves in goal for the Cavaliers.
Virginia will play Virginia Tech in the semifinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Hokies upset No. 2 seed Florida State in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. In the regular season meeting between the teams, Virginia Tech scored a 1-0 win over the Cavaliers in Blacksburg.
VIRGINIA 3, WAKE FOREST 2
#24 Wake Forest (12-7-0) 1 1 0 0 – 2
#14 Virginia (13-4-2) 0 2 0 1 – 3
Scoring:
WF Amy Smerdzinski 6 (unassisted) 17’
UVa Sarah Senty 1 (Sinead Farrelly 3) 49’
UVa Alli Fries 3 (Amanda Stewart 5) 76’
WF Kristina Hanley 1 (Allie Sadow 4) 89’
UVa Sinead Farrelly 4 (Sarah Senty 7) 105’
Cautions:
WF Head Coach da Luz (YC-76’)
UVa Miller (YC- 77’)
Shots: UVa 23, WF 7
Corners: UVa 12, WF 5
Saves: UVa 2 (Miles 2), WF 11 (Morse 11)
Fouls: UVa 12, WF 9
Weather: 59 degrees, clear
Attendance: 256