Tar Heels gain 19th women’s soccer national championship

CARY, N.C. ­­””mdash; When North Carolina junior forward Casey Nogueira dropped to her knees and raised her arms, the dog pile formed around her.

Appropriate, considering Nogueira scored both Tar Heel goals, unassisted on ridiculously hard, bullet-like strikes, to crown North Carolina champions of the women’s soccer world, for the 19th time in school history.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be sitting here as the 2008 national champions,” North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance said. “I’m especially proud of a team that never gave up. … It’s been one of those dream seasons.”

But on the other sideline, the image was starkly dichotomous.

Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum followed referee George Vergara off the field, barking at him all the way.

Waldrum was upset that there was no penalty called when his star forward Kerri Hanks went down in the box with less than 30 seconds remaining.

When asked for an opening statement, Waldrum said, “I’m really proud of my girls. That’s it.”

Regarding the play, Hanks said, “If you’re going to call that foul for UNC, you’re going to call that one against me. I was running, and I know she didn’t mean to trip me, but she did. It’s in the box, and she’s the last player. It should have been a call.”

Regardless, the teams with the two top overall seeds in the tournament put on a show Sunday afternoon, in one of the most intense and entertaining matches in College Cup history. North Carolina (25-1-2) defeated Notre Dame (26-1-0), 2-1, in the national championship game, two days after sending UCLA home, and halted a three-game losing streak to the Irish.

Both teams had countless quality scoring opportunities, and Nogueira capitalized on two for the Tar Heels.

At 87 minutes and 54 seconds late in the game, UNC forward Jessica McDonald fell in the box with possession of the ball, and the ball spit out of the box to a waiting Nogueira. Nogueira dribbled left and then sent off an absolute rocket for 20 yards out to the top-middle of the net.

Irish goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander made a gallant effort, but the ball just had too much pace.

“My momentum was going the other way, and the ball got deflected the way my momentum wasn’t going,” Lysander, the California native, said.

“I just kind of hit it across, it hit somebody, and it went in,” Nogueira said of the goal.

UNC’s first goal also came off the foot of Nogueira, who took advantage of a free kick no more than a yard outside the box, and dead center. It was this foul Hanks thought set a double standard for the no-call with 20 seconds left. Nogueira blew a strike past Lysander on the free kick to the top left corner of the net.

“The two balls that (Nogueira) stuck today were world-class finishers,” Dorrance said. “If those balls were stuck in a Premiere game, you would be seeing those goals in a highlight reel at the end of the week.”

Despite the final tally, things looked good for Notre Dame early. They jumped out to a quick 1-0 advantage, when Hanks registered a goal 16 seconds into the first half off a well-placed lob pass. The goal was the fastest goal scored in Irish history.

But all of that was for naught, because the Tar Heels came out on top yet again.

“It means a lot be a national champion. I remember my freshman year ““ it was really special,” Nogueira said. “The team is always just like a family. It is so special to be a part of this program and be national champions.”

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: UCLA junior forward Lauren Cheney was named to the All-Tournament team Sunday at the conclusion of the championship game.

The tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player was Carry Dew of Notre Dame, while the Most Outstanding Offensive Player was UNC’s Nogueira.

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