Demon Deacons fall to Cavs in season finale
By Lisa Ferguson
Old Gold and Black Reporter

The women’s soccer team fell to the Virginia Cavaliers 2-0 on Nov. 2 in their last regular season game.

The Demon Deacons, who were ranked 24th in the nation entering the contest, finished up fifth in the ACC with a record of 3-4 while the Cavaliers, ranked 15th going into the game, finished second in the conference rankings with a record of 5-2.

The first half was scoreless, although the Cavaliers managed to fire six shots on goal while the Deacs were unable to get one off.

The action picked up in the second half when Virginia midfielder Lindsay Gusick scored in the 58th minute, dribbling around the Deacs’ goalkeeper. Gusick scored again in the 76th minute off a breakaway, when she faced Deac senior goalkeeper Erin Regan head on. For the game, the Demon Deacons managed only one shot on goal, a second-half attempt by junior midfielder Katie Johnson.

“After the game, the players were really disappointed in their performance, but when we watched the game video last night we realized it was a lot closer than what it felt like,” said head coach Tony da Luz.

The Deacs were playing without the skills of senior forward Emily Taggart and junior midfielder Alli Hunt. Also, senior midfielder Sara Kate Noftsinger and junior forward Joline Charlton were coming off of injuries.

Even though the Deacs were held back by injuries and health problems, they are optimistic about their playing.

“We were still in the game against Virginia and even had chances to tie, so we’re coming out with more confidence,” said da Luz.

The Deacs will now prepare for the ACC tournament this coming week and weekend.
They play the Clemson Tigers on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. at Spry Stadium. The Tigers came away with a narrow victory against the Deacs in their regular season game.

“We’re looking forward to the rematch,” da Luz said. “We would love to beat Clemson. There were lingering feelings over the regular season game which helps to motivate the players.”

The ACC is recognized as one of the toughest tournaments in the country.

“It’s harder to win this tournament than the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “We could get all eight teams into the NCAA Tournament.”

The first round of the ACC Tournament consists of four games on Nov. 8 at Spry Stadium.

Florida State and Maryland face off at 12 p.m., Duke and Maryland follow at 2:30 p.m., North Carolina and N.C. State duke it out at 5:30 p.m. and the Deacs tangle with Clemson at 8 p.m. to wind it up.

The semifinals continue on Nov. 9 with the championship game on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
Spry Stadium, the site of the last three men’s ACC Tournaments, will host the events.