Duke, South Carolina capture conf. titles

Duke, South Carolina capture conf. titles
by Travis Clark
October 27, 2017

The regular season titles came down to the final day of play in the SEC, Big East and ACC.

Here's how it went down in each conference:

ACC

Duke capped off its memorable campaign with yet another win -- making it 17 straight. This time, it was a 1-0 victory against Virginia in Charlottesville.

Junior midfielder Kat McDonald popped up in the 87th minute to score the winner, capturing the program's first regular season ACC title since 2011. It was forward Kayla McCoy who made the goal, as she dribbled down the left channel, muscled past a Virginia defender and found a streaking McDonald to secure the late win.

The Blue Devils didn't need to beat UVA to secure the regular season crown after North Carolina drew 1-1 against Notre Dame in Cary, NC. Regardless, Duke continues to roll, and will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament.

“I’m just really so proud of the players,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said in a press release. “Since day one they’ve had a mission and it was to go 10-0-0 in the toughest league in the country. I’m just very happy for our players and our staff. Our staff has done an amazing job. Erwin [Van Bennekom], Carla [Overbeck] and Lane [Davis] have done an unbelievable job preparing the team game in and game out."

SEC

Just when it looked like a 1-1 draw against lowly Georgia would knock South Carolina from the top of the SEC, the Gamecocks got the result they needed to win a second straight regular season title.

Facing Florida and most likely needing a win with rivals Texas A&M taking on Mississippi State, South Carolina sophomore Elexa Bahr grabbed the winning goal in the 80th minute. The goal proved to be all the more crucial as the Aggies defeated Mississippi State by a 2-1 score.

"Our girls battled all night, and everyone played the role they needed to -- I couldn't be more proud of this team," South Carolina head coach Shelly Smith said in a press release. "Elexa (Bahr) came up huge, and she has done that time-and-time again this year. Someone had to break through, and I thought we had more chances on the night. It's crazy to be here with how tough this league is. I'm amazed and very proud of this group -- they fight for each other, and to have a championship two years in a row is incredible."

So the Gamecocks emerged atop the SEC, edging a Texas A&M they didn't face during the conference regular season.

Big East

One year after a memorable run to the College Cup, Georgetown clinched the outright Big East title thanks to a 1-0 win against a plucky Xavier side.

Playing the final regular season match of her college career, senior standout Rachel Corboz curled in a free kick in the second half to provide the winning margin for the Hoyas. It was a dominant team effort in the stat sheet, as Georgetown outshot the visitors by a 19-2 margin, though managed just the lone tally.

With the win and the regular season title, Georgetown will host the semifinals and final of next week's Big East tournament.

Related Topics: Atlantic Coast, Big East, SEC
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