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© St. Petersburg Times, published November 19, 2001
GAINESVILLE -- Abby Wambach made the most of one of her final appearances at Percy Beard Stadium on Sunday.
The Florida senior recorded her third hat trick of the season in Florida's 3-0 win against Georgia in the second round of the NCAA soccer tournament.
"I'm really glad to get through that round," UF coach Becky Burleigh said. "When we went up two minutes into the game, it really got the nerves out and some of the jitters."
Florida faces Clemson on Sunday. UF has put in a bid to host the 2 p.m. game.Wambach, the two-time SEC player of the year, also had hat tricks against Mississippi State and Kentucky this season. She put the Gators up 1-0 with a 6-yard header off of a pass by Casey Hamel in the second minute. Her second goal was a 4-yard blast in the 29th minute. Andi Sellers and Danielle Murphy assisted. Wambach scored again in the 31st minute on assists from Monica Hoyles and Dena Floyd.
"I think when you have a strong supporting cast, it allows Abby to really stand out," Burleigh said.
Play stopped for about 15 minutes shortly before halftime as Georgia midfielder and former Gator Andrea Velasco was taken off the field on a stretcher after falling awkwardly. Georgia officials said she was taken to Shands at the University of Florida with possible neck and head injuries.
Florida allowed seven shots in the second half but preserved the shutout two days after beating Central Florida 4-0.
Host Clemson ended Florida State's soccer season for the second straight year, winning 1-0.
The 16th-ranked Seminoles finished a program-best 15-8-1, while No.18 Clemson (14-4-1) advanced to the Sweet 16 against Florida.
"There wasn't one point today that I felt we weren't going to win this game," FSU coach Patrick Baker said. "I feel for our kids because they did everything we asked of them and played a fantastic game but didn't get the result."
Paige Ledford scored the only goal in the second half. Lindsey Browne made a crossing pass, and the ball fell between goalie Ali Mims and defender Heather Dyche. Ledford got to the ball first and scored on the Tigers' only shot of the half.
After Friday's 4-1 semifinal victory against UAB on Friday, Marquette coach John Adlard and his players spoke of the significance of their early goal.
But against top-seeded Saint Louis, Marquette was victimized by a quick score, paving the way for the Billikens' 2-0 win in the Conference USA tournament final at South Florida in Tampa. It is Saint Louis' second straight title.
"That probably won the game for us, getting that early goal," Saint Louis coach Dan Donigan said. "Things like that happen when good teams prepare."
Dipsy Selolwane put the Billikens ahead 1-0 before many fans had reached their seats. After the opening kickoff, Selolwane found a seam and dribbled through the defense.
His shot was deflected by goalkeeper Adam Ubert. But the ball ricocheted off the post, and Selolwane tapped in the rebound 33 seconds in. "We prepped them that you've got to be alert from the kickoff," Adlard said. "And the sad thing is we weren't."
Selolwane scored his national-leading 24th goal with 17 minutes left in the game to seal it. Mike Hill launched a long ball from just beyond midfield to Selolwane, who was behind the defense. He then beat Ubert for the goal.
SEC: Benavia Jenkins had 21 kills and seven blocks, Jacque Robinson had 19 kills and Kris Bova had 80 assists as Florida defeated Arkansas 27-30, 28-30, 30-19, 30-16, 19-17 in Knoxville, Tenn., the Gators' ninth conference tournament title. Bova's 80 assists are the third-most in UF history, and she served the winning point.
ACC: Nicole Reis had a match-high 22 kills as North Carolina won its third consecutive tournament title 30-20, 30-27, 28-30, 30-23 over host Florida State. Norisha Campbell led FSU with 18 kills. Alex Sevillano had 17 kills and a match-high 20 digs, and Erica Bunch added 10 kills and 19 digs.
CROSS COUNTRY: Former Riverview standout DeeDee Haefling placed 59th in 23 minutes, 22.9 seconds for Tampa at the Division II national meet in Slippery Rock, Pa. Teammate Tracy Buxton was 102nd in 24:09.8.
FIELD HOCKEY: Adrienne Hortillosa and Jessica Rose scored and Maureen Tasch made 11 saves as Michigan beat Maryland 2-0 for the national title in Kent, Ohio.
-- Correspondent Brandon Wright and Times wires contributed to this report.