Boston College's wind-aided goal ends Washington's season

NEWTON, Mass. — Words like "heartbreak" and "fluky" dominated the conversation Saturday after Boston College outlasted Washington 1-0 in an Elite Eight game of the NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament.

That is, from the Huskies' viewpoint.

Midway through the first 10-minute, sudden-death overtime, BC's Hannah Cerrone lofted a corner kick to the box.

Huskies goalie Jorde Lafontaine-Kussmann, who'd allowed only one goal in three previous tournament games, leapt high only to have the ball deflect off her hand and into the net.

"I couldn't be more proud of my team in the number of chances we created," UW coach Lesle Gallimore said. "That's the heartbreak of soccer. You can create, create, create and unless you put one away you're sort of on edge.

"I think it was a little unfortunate with the elements. On that last corner they had, it hung up in the wind a little strangely and it was unfortunate that we were on the end of a goal like that. We haven't given up a lot of soft goals or a lot of fluky goals."

Lafontaine-Kussmann didn't make any excuses on the play that ended UW's season and sent BC (17-6-1) to the College Cup.

"We were in it ... we were struggling ... we were really fighting hard to make sure we didn't let anything easy in," Lafontaine-Kussmann said. "I think that last one held up in the wind and kind of came back in a little. I got caught a little high and it hit off the wrong part of my hand."

Gallimore said she felt the game never should have reached overtime, let alone have ended in a defeat for the Huskies (13-9-2), who had a 17-15 edge in shots.

"I felt we created enough chances in both halves of the game to finish one," Gallimore said. "We had a couple of really clear chances, most notably the one Alex Webber had in front of the goal. It was almost harder to hit over than it is to hit in.

"But it's tougher than it looks ... a bouncing ball. Finishing is the hardest thing to do in soccer, people will tell you. I felt we created enough chances to win it in regulation."

On the play Gallimore referred to, which occurred 15 minutes in, Webber's shot was blocked by BC goalie Jill Mastroianni, who also covered up on the rebound.

Then shortly before intermission, Lafontaine-Kussmann made arguably her best save when she deflected a 25-yarder by Kristie Mewis over the cross bar.

Despite the excruciating manner in which Washington lost, Gallimore said she thought it didn't take the edge off what the team accomplished this season.

"Our team believed we were good enough to win a lot of games in the tournament, and we did," she said. "I thought we were good enough to win tonight, but we didn't."