Florida State broke a 2-2 tie in the final 90 seconds and held on for a 3-2 upset win over #3 Virginia on Thursday night at Klöckner Stadium.
Virginia (10-2-3, 4-2-2 ACC) had equalized in the 79th minute as a header from Addison Halpern clipped the crossbar and dropped back down into play. Meredith McDermott was in the right place on her run and bumped it back in net to make it a 2-2 game.
#11 FSU (9-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC) reclaimed the lead in the 89th minute as a quick reset following a foul saw the ball launched into the Cavaliers’ defensive end. Jordynn Dudley, who scored the first two goals for the ‘Noles, picked up the ball and moved to make a play that was deflected off a Virgina defender and sailed high and over to Wrianna Hudson, who finished her chance from near the penalty spot.
“It was a tough result for us. I thought the way the game went we deserved a little more than we got, but this is the kind of game where you take your chances, and we knew we had to be good in the box. We weren’t as good as we needed to be tonight, and give them credit, they finished their chances,” UVA coach Steve Swanson said.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve given up three goals,” Swanson said. “We’re obviously all frustrated and disappointed with the results, especially since this is another game where we gave up a goal in the last minute. We’ve got to be a little sharper and a little more focused. Hopefully this makes us a little more hungry, and we can learn these lessons from a loss as opposed to a draw or something like that.”
Virginia continues to play at home on Sunday afternoon when the Cavaliers host Pitt (5-9-2, 1-7-0 ACC) in a 2 p.m. matchup at Klöckner Stadium. It will be Senior Day for the ’Hoos with the program honoring nine seniors prior to kick.