By Official Florida FC
Florida State and Virginia have played in a series of instant classics over the last two seasons. Sunday’s ACC Tournament final was the latest chapter in that rivalry.
The Seminoles (16-1-2) used a Clara Robbins goal in the 10th minute to knock off the Cavaliers 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.
“I thought it was the kind of game we expected,” Florida State head coach Mark Krikorian said afterward. “Virginia’s a great team and they’re quite capable of competing in and winning the national championship. They have a fantastic staff and great players all over the field.
“Overall, I would say that the kids followed the game plan pretty well. We had big performances and some special moments in the game. Of course, Clara’s (Robbins) goal was a big moment and (Cristina) Roque coming up with a big save was pretty important as well. It was a good team performance on a bigger stage, and it gets us ready for the NCAA Tournament.”
Virginia was vying for its first ACC Tournament title in nine years. Meanwhile, FSU was trying to repeat as tournament champions and win their eighth title overall.
Both teams will almost assuredly be No. 1 seeds when the NCAA Division I women’s soccer bracket is released on Monday afternoon. Virginia entered the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 team in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Cavaliers took over the No. 1 spot from Florida State on Oct. 26.
Robbins, as well as Maria Alagoa, Lauren Flynn, Emily Madril and goalkeeper Cristina Roque made the All-Tournament team. Robbins became the first woman since North Carolina’s Casey Nogueira in 2008 and 2009 to earn Tournament MVP honors in consecutive years.
American Athletic Conference final
Memphis 1, USF 0
South Florida’s quest for a third straight American Athletic Conference Tournament title ended on Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
Memphis (13-4-2) won its second conference championship in the last four years in penalties.
Memphis entered the game as the American’s top attacking team and owners of the conference’s best defensive record. USF won the regular season matchup on Oct. 17 when Katie Kitching scored her first goal of the season in the 105th minute to give the visiting Bulls a 1-0 win.
This time, there was no separating the two teams after 110 minutes.
The lone Floridian on the Tigers roster, goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg produced seven saves in the final and two more in the penalty kick shootout.
USF (12-3-3) will likely earn an at-large berth in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament.
