CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 Florida State (14-1-3, 9-1-2 ACC) suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon falling to No. 1 Virginia (18-0-0, 12-0-0 ACC) 1-0 in overtime on a golden goal by UVa’s Annie Steinlage.
A Klockner Stadium record crowd of 3,894 was on hand to witness the battle of two top three teams and the last two remaining unbeaten teams in the nation.
After both schools could not crack the scoreboard during regulation, Virginia needed just 54 seconds in the first overtime to net the game-winner. The Cavaliers built up their attack leading to Steinlage’s first goal of the season following a Seminole foul just beyond midfield. Molly Menchel sent a pass from the left side of the pitch to Steinlage, who collected the ball, turned toward the middle of the 18-yard box and fired a shot inside the left post, past a diving Kelsey Wys for the goal.
“Virginia is a very good team,” Florida State head coach Mark Krikorian said. “They are certainly well coached, disciplined and very talented. They have quality all over the field. There is a reason they are undefeated and the No. 1 team in the country and they showed that today.”
The loss closed the book on FSU’s school record unbeaten streak which ended at 17 games, while it marked the fourth straight year that the regular season match-up between Florida State and Virginia went to overtime. The Garnet & Gold also fell to 0-9-1 all-time inside Klockner Stadium.
The Seminoles were held to a season-low in shots on Sunday recording just one with that coming off the foot of Michaela Hahn in the 63rd minute. The Cavaliers were called for a foul inside FSU’s attacking third leading to a free kick that Hahn sent high of the goal from about 30 yards out.
Virginia closed out the match with 14 shots including five on goal as Wys finished the afternoon with four saves for the Seminoles. The Cavaliers also held the advantage in corners at 7-2.
“In the first half, Virginia was very good,” said Krikorian. “They limited our opportunity on the ball and in the second half I felt we were a little bit better in being able to gain some territory in the game. From start to finish, Virginia was better than we were today.”
The best scoring opportunity in the second half came from Virginia in the 52nd minute when Makenzy Doniak sent a high shot on goal from about 10 yards out that forced Wys to make a tip save over her head. The redshirt senior goalkeeper then back pedaled toward the goal and was able to recover in time to control the ball before it crossed the goal line to keep the match knotted at zero.
Neither team found the back of the net in the first half as Virginia went into the locker room with a 5-0 advantage in shots. It marked the first time this year the Seminoles did not register a shot in the first 45 minutes of play.
The best scoring chance for either team came in the ninth minute when Doniak blasted a shot off the left post from about 15 yards out.
FSU created a corner kick opportunity in the 39th minute off a long throw-in by Megan Campbell. The ball was deflected off a Cavalier defender and out of bounds. Carson Pickett’s corner kick went to the far post but Virginia was able to clear the ball without a threat from the Seminoles.
“This is obviously a very challenging road trip when you have to come in and play No. 4 Virginia Tech and then the number one team in the country,” added Krikorian. “There is never an easy game in the ACC and that is part of the beauty of playing in this conference. Every time out you are going to challenged and you have to bring your ‘A’-game or you’re not going to find a result. Today Virginia was better than us and they found the result.”
Florida State will wrap-up its regular season schedule on Thursday, October 31 when the Seminoles welcome Notre Dame to Tallahassee for an 8:00 p.m. contest.
Spend Halloween with the Seminoles as fans are encouraged to come and compete in the Halloween costume contest while Trick-or-Treating at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Florida State will also recognize the 2013 Senior Class – defender Kassey Kallman and goalkeeper Kelsey Wys – before the match.
“Notre Dame is just a great program, they have been for years and continue to be,” said Krikorian. “They are going to come in, excited to play and so will we, as we close out the regular season and look toward postseason play.”
The match will air live on the Regional Sports Network and in Florida on Fox Sports Florida. Live stats will also be available via gametracker. As always Seminole fans can follow the Noles on twitter @FSU_Soccer and remember to like the Seminoles on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FSUSoccer) and Instagram (NoleSoccer).
