BLACKSBURG, Va. (Seminoles.com) – After 110 hard-fought minutes, No. 1 Florida State (13-1-2, 6-0-2 ACC) and No. 7 Virginia Tech (13-2-2, 5-2-1 ACC) finished in a 0-0 (2 OT) draw on October 22 at Thompson Field. It was the second overtime game for Florida State this season as the Noles earned a 0-0 (2 OT) draw at Duke on September 20.
The draw extended Florida State’s unbeaten streak in ACC play to 19 games (16-0-3) and improves the Noles’ all-time series record with the Hokies to 15-0-2.
“Virginia Tech is such a good team, front to back,” said FSU head coach Mark Krikorian. “They are organized, disciplined and they play hard. They are dangerous. That’s a good team that we just played.”
The first half was a tight battle between Florida State and Virginia Tech. The Seminoles held a 6-2 lead in shots and a 2-1 advantage in corners, but none were able to find the back of the net.
The best scoring chance for FSU came in the 13th minute as a foul by VT’s Jordan Coburn on Cheyna Williams in the box set up a penalty kick. FSU was unable to convert the PK as the shot bounced off the left post and away from the goal.
The Noles added some scoring chances later in the first half as Kaycie Tillman slipped in a ball for Williams who took a shot in the 22nd minute that was saved away by the VT goalkeeper Kaylyn Smith, but there were no FSU players able to play the rebound. Williams and Tillman paired up again in the 24th minute as Tillman received a nice pass from Williams but her shot sailed wide of the net.
Kirsten Crowley took a pair of shots in the 33rd and 36th minutes but couldn’t get them past VT’s Smith.
The match was physical for nearly the entire game and Virginia Tech ended up with three yellow cards. The first one was shown to Alia Abu El Hawa at 37:05 in the first half, while Kallie Peurifoy (53:31) and Morgan Conklin (69:27) earned theirs in the second half.
The second half saw Virginia Tech have several scoring chances as they outshot the Noles 7-3 in the second 45 minutes. VT’s Candace Cephers hit the crossbar with a shot at 55:30 and Murielle Tiernan’s shot at 71:19 sailed high.
The FSU defense stood tall during a trio of Virginia Tech corner kicks in the 72nd and 73rd minutes, limiting the Hokies to only one shot that went wide of the goal.
In the first overtime, VT outshot the Noles 3-2, including one that went off the crossbar by Alani Johnson at 93:25. Defensively, FSU’s Crowley made a great tackle to stop a Virginia Tech scoring chance in the 95th minute. The Noles nearly ended the game in the 99th minute as Megan Connolly found a seam in the box but was unable to control the ball on a leaping header attempt that went wide.
Shots by Carson Pickett and Michaela Hahn were the only shot attempts from either team in the second overtime but neither were on frame as the match ended in a 0-0 draw. The Noles narrowly outshot the Hokies 13-12, though only one VT shot was on goal while FSU had six shots on goal.
“It’s a small margin between putting the ball in the net and missing, and today we didn’t put the ball in the net,” added Krikorian. “We had a couple of good looks, they had a couple of good looks, but neither team was able to break the ice, and it ended up 0-0.
“Overall, I thought it was a good solid defensive performance. I would have liked to see a little more possession out of our group at times, or patience in the attack, but it isn’t easy to come here and play against such a good team and in front of a great crowd on a beautiful night. This is a tough road trip for us.”
The Seminoles remain in the Commonwealth for the weekend and will travel to Charlottesville for a match against No. 2 Virginia (12-1-1, 6-1-0 ACC) on Sunday, October 25 at 1 pm. The contest at Klöckner Stadium will air on ESPNU with Jonathan Yardley and Cat Whitehill on the call. Live stats will also be available on Seminoles.com.
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