Quote:Posted on Sat, Nov. 26, 2005

FSU stuns UNC

'Noles advance to College Cup by shocking Tar Heels

By Jim Furlong
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT WRITER


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Florida State women's soccer players and coaches are going to the College Cup next weekend in Texas.

The seventh-ranked Seminoles, with a memorable defensive performance, earned the biggest success in the program's 11-year history by eliminating second-ranked North Carolina on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

After the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie in double overtime, Florida State used a 5-4 advantage during a penalty-kick shootout to knock off the 18-time national champions.

For only the third time in their 64 NCAA games at home, the Tar Heels did not win.

"I am so happy for everyone involved," junior defender Kelly Rowland said. "This is a testament to everyone's fight and spirit and, hopefully, we can keep going."

First-year coach Mark Krikorian will lead the record-setting Seminoles (20-3-1) into next Friday's NCAA semifinals in College Station, Texas. FSU will play the winner of Friday night's Virginia-UCLA match.

FSU junior goalkeeper Ali Mims made a career-high 13 saves and her teammates made five saves to deny the Tar Heels, who finished with a 31-7 margin for shots and 10-1 for corner kicks.

"I give our kids all the credit in the world for fighting and hanging in," Krikorian said. "Our back line was disciplined. Ali was outstanding. She handled everything cleanly, not only getting to everything, she held everything."

Mims paused during the postgame press conference when asked to describe her emotions and the impact of eliminating the Tar Heels (23-1-1).

"There are no words for it, but we are going to find some," Mims said. "We realize that this gets us to the Final Four."

The Seminoles, who were 1-17 in their previous games against North Carolina, prospered after the duel officially ended in a tie at Fetzer Field. Krikorian inserted Minna Pykko, a senior from Finland, as the goalkeeper for the penalty kicks.

FSU converted five straight attempts as Viola Odebrecht, Sel Kuralay, Katrin Schmidt, Teresa Rivera and Melissa Samokishy all hit the back of the net.

Pykko, with an agile dive to her right, blocked UNC's second attempt by Heather O'Reilly, the ACC's leading goal scorer this season.

Samokishy said she was surprised that she was chosen to take the last, and decisive, penalty kick.

"I was thinking it was time to put the game away and move on to the Final Four," she said.

FSU eventually gained the upper hand despite getting only one shot in the first 60 minutes before a crowd of 2,518.

India Trotter made the most of that opportunity at 8:25. The swift junior forward, a first-team All-ACC selection, accelerated up the middle of the field, burst between two defenders and kicked an accurate 16-yard grounder for her fifth goal in four NCAA tournament games.

North Carolina had lost only 27 games in 27 years and is 86-6-1 in the NCAA tournament, but the Tar Heels were denied a Final Four berth for the second straight year at home. The Tar Heels are the highest-ranked opponent FSU has beaten. FSU earned a trip to the College Cup for the second time in the last three years. FSU lost to Connecticut 2-0 in the 2003 NCAA semifinals.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE CUP

Dec. 2 semifinals

UCLA-Virginia winner vs. FSU (20-3-1), 4:30 p.m.

Penn State (23-0-1) vs. Portland-N.D. winner, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4 championship

Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.