Miami women’s soccer again proved its ability to battle through late-match situations in the Atlantic Coast Conference Thursday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
But aside from perseverance, the Hurricanes’ inability to score more than one goal in regulation and Wake Forest’s extra time heroics ultimately sunk Miami in a rainy match that included 33 combined shots.
Junior defender Emma Tucker netted an 88th minute goal to level the contest at one, but the Demon Deacons held off their opponent through two overtimes and eventually pulled away 2-1 inside Spry Stadium.
“I’m proud of the effort and relentlessness,” Miami coach Sarah Barnes said. “I think this was one of the best performances we’ve put forward. In soccer, sometimes things don’t bounce your way. Regardless, the performance was a step in the right direction. We played pretty well last week but I thought we played a little bit better this week. My heart hurts for the players but I’m really proud of what they left on the field tonight.”
Wake Forest midfielder Sofia Rossi powered Wake Forest (11-2, 3-2 ACC) to victory in the 101st minute. The redshirt senior converted on her fifth shot that lined into the bottom right corner for the dagger.
Although Miami (4-7, 1-4 ACC) struggled to fire shots in the first half, ten were totaled after the intermission. Junior defender Taylor Shell misfired on two consecutive shots in the 67th and 72nd minutes, both barely clearing the crossbar.
And then, as time ticked down, Tucker delivered her first goal of the season, sending a shot into the upper right half.
“I felt like we could’ve had a goal or two earlier than that,” Barnes said. “We had several opportunities We had control of the game in the second half. We all felt that we were going to get one. The players were saying to each other, ‘it’s coming.’ I definitely felt like it was within reach.”
The Demon Deacons also benefitted two minutes into the duel, gaining a 1-0 lead. Slicing past the Hurricanes’ back two defenders from Wake Forest territory, forward Jenna Menta captured the left edge of the net.
Following an ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week nomination and a season-high in saves at Boston College, Miami’s starting goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais totaled seven saves.
The Hurricanes look to finish a three-game road trip with a victory against reigning ACC regular season champion Florida State at noon Sunday at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fl.