Under Tom Anagnost's Guidance Canes Progressed To the 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament after Defeating Alabama 3-2

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Under Tom Anagnost's Guidance Canes Progressed To
the 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament after Defeating
Alabama 3-2
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Tom Anagnost's Miami Hurricanes defeated Alabama
3-2 and progressed to the second round of the
NCAA tournament for the first time in school
history. The match took place at Cobb Stadium,
and in the opening stanza, the Hurricanes played
beautifully, along with their great goalkeeper
Vikki Alonzo, who was able to maintain the game
at a score of zero. Tom's training during the
week focused on the mids and forwards combining
which helped the Canes gain momentum in the
midfield and become dangerous in the attacking
third of the field. With the tempo in their
favor, the Canes started attacking the net and an
8th minute shot by Jordan Roseboro went inches
wide. Ashley Flinn, freshman, was dangerous
during the whole day, and had a cross deflected
wide by an opponent defender in the 18th minute,
which everyone thought ended up in the back of
the net.
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Anagnost described the match offered a thrilling
experience not only to spectators, but to the
players as well. It was Alabama who scored the
first goal of the match against the run of play,
a cross from Ashley Wills in the 20th minute
landed squarely on the head of Kendall Khana and
resulted in a goal. The score board that was
locked at zero scrolled to one, and this goal was
the fifth tally of the year for Khana.
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After this goal, the Canes put on even more
pressure, and were not disturbed by the lead of
their opponents. Soon after eight minutes when
Blake Stockton's shot sailed above the crossbar,
they scored their first goal and tied the game in
the 29th minute, as Shannon Caspar beautifully
headed in a cross from Flinn. In the first half,
Alabama had a little of the possession and few
efforts to score goals, but Vikki Alonzo, the
very skilled and senior goalkeeper from Canes,
did save two point blank shots to keep the score
equal.
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As the second half started, in the 71st minute,
Laura Lee Smith of Alabama took the advantage of
a Canes brief defensive lapse and put in her
fourth goal of the year and Alabama was back in
the lead 2-1. The Canes responded with strong
play and scored their second goal in the 77th
minute. It was Kate Howarth again, who scored her
11th goal of the season after heading a dead ball
cross from Tara Schwitter. It was an unbelievably
manufactured goal which tied the game in the 82th
minute. In the 87th minute, Howarth had another
header, but it couldn't find its way into the
net, and the match entered extra time knotted at
two goals apiece. Tom Anagnost explained that it
was again Kate Howarth who contributed enormously
to the Hurricanes victory. On a wonderfully
weighted thru ball from Howarth, Flinn slotted
the ball into the net, and thus moved the
Hurricanes to their first NCAA Tournament win in
the history of the program.
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Thank You Tom Anagnost