The seven members of the Notre Dame senior class won their fourth NCAA Quarterfinal of their careers Friday by beating top-seeded Florida State 2-0 in Tallahassee.
The second-seeded Irish scored two goals in less than a minute in the first half to provide the difference in the game. Junior goalkeeper Nikki Weiss made five saves in her seventh solo shutout of the season.
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson corralled a loose ball near the goal with seven minutes left in the first half and quickly put it into the corner of the goal before Florida State's goalkeeper could dive over.
51 seconds later, junior Rose Augustin's corner kick was headed in by senior Haley Ford to give the Irish a two-goal cushion.
Both teams took 14 shots, but Notre Dame was much more efficient with its shots on goal; the Irish took three shots on goal, and only one was saved, whereas the Seminoles put five shots on the net, all saved by Weiss.
The berth in the College Cup is Notre Dame's fourth in a row, and fifth in six seasons. Overall, the Irish have made it to the last weekend of college soccer 11 times.
North Carolina awaits the Irish in College Station, Tex. The Tar Heels beat Wake Forest 5-2 Friday. Notre Dame and North Carolina met Sept. 4 in the first game at newly-constructed Alumni Stadium. The Tar Heels won in a 6-0 rout.
The Irish will look for their revenge against North Carolina in the NCAA Semifinals Friday, Dec. 4.
