CARY — Morgan Brian hadn’t scored a goal all season for Virginia, but the sophomore couldn’t have picked a better time to get her first. And for good measure, she got her second, too.
The All-ACC midfielder notched two goals and an assist as fifth-seeded Virginia stunned top-seeded Florida State 4-2 in the semifinals of the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship Friday at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The seventh-ranked Cavaliers (15-4-1) will go after their second ACC tournament title at 1 p.m. Sunday when they play second-seeded Maryland. The Terrapins (13-5-2) ousted third-seeded Wake Forest 2-0 in Friday’s second game on goals by Hayley Brock and Becky Kaplan.
UVa broke a 2-2 tie in the second half on goals by Erica Hollenberg and Brian in a span of 1:44.
Brian set up Hollenberg’s second goal of the season at 68:10 with a pass across the goalmouth and scored her second goal of the game with a diving header off a free kick by Julia Roberts at 69:54.
Caroline Miller and Brian gave Virginia a 2-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes, but Dagny Brynjarsdottir answered almost immediately for second-ranked Florida State when she knocked in a loose ball off a corner kick for her seventh goal. Tiffany McCarty leveled the match when she scored her 10th goal of the season on a header at 62:59 off a cross by Casey Short.
“We could have dropped it there when it was 2-2, but I thought we responded really well,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. “It’s not often that team gives up four goals.”
In fact, it was the most goals scored against the Seminoles, who led the ACC in goals-against average (0.39), since the Cavaliers beat them 4-3 in overtime in 2011. Since then, Florida State had won three straight meetings between them, including a 1-0 verdict in overtime this season that was decided by a penalty kick.
Virginia seized control from the outset, exploiting the Seminoles with long balls to speedy forward Gloria Douglas that led to the first two goals.
“I’m not sure it surprised us,” Florida State coach Mark Krikorian said. “But Virginia is typically very technical, a ball-control type of team. I thought maybe we’d deal with it better than we did.”
Miller, the ACC offensive player of the year, took a drop pass from Douglas at the top of the penalty area, eluded two defenders and bent a shot just inside the right post for the senior’s 15th goal at 4:57.
