RALEIGH – North Carolina State University and University of Virginia Women’s soccer teams played out a goalless draw Friday night. Both sides started brightly before Virginia wrestled control of the midfield and NCSU became content to absorb pressure and hit on the break.
Both teams had their chances however with UVA putting NCSU under sustained pressure for most of the game. NCSU responded with some dangerous counterattacks that resulted in corners for their first real opportunities of the night.
Early in the first half UVA put the NCSU goal under siege which resulted in multiple shots going close but never really tested the goalkeeper. UVA would have been good value for a goal but the NCSU defense held firm and picked their moments to get forward.
Opportunities were few and far between the Wolfpack as many of their chances coming from corners midway through the first half but that was as good as it got as UVA played out the remainder of the first half in the NCSU half. The best chance of the first half fell for UVA as a header from a corner was destined for the bottom corner but for a top save from the NCSU goalkeeper.
That was as good as it got in the first half as neither side could create anymore clear cut chances. The second half began as the first ended with UVA quickly picking up where they left off as they attempted to make their superiority count.
They went close seven minutes from the restart with a free kick that was blazed over before NCSU had a free kick of their own saved three minutes later. That marked a lull in the action as both sides struggled to create anymore chances before UVA free kicked just after the hour marked was headed over and both sides won corners of which neither was able to convert.
Eight minutes from time UVA almost won it with a thunderbolt from all of 30 yards that smashed against the bar and out to safety. That was the last real chance of regular time as the match headed into extra time.
NCSU started the brighter in the first half of extra time as they had some chances of their own to break the deadlock the best of which resulted from a free kick that caused chaos in the box but was called back for offside before UVA regained control in the second half of extra time. Their only chances however came from a free kick and corners as both teams tired and struggled to create opportunities from open play as the match ended 0-0.