Wheeler Beats Buzzer to Stun Cardinals
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Ten seconds remained.
It was all the Miami Hurricanes needed.
Adrianna Serna floated a ball down the right side of the Cardinals’ box.
With five ticks on the clock, Katerina Molina raced it down and kept the ball from rolling out of bounds.
Molina played it back towards the middle and Reese Wheeler finished off the magical moment.
Wheeler’s left-footed strike rifled into the upper left corner with three seconds remaining, providing Miami with a 1-0 win over Louisville Sunday afternoon.
“It’s not over until the last whistle blows,” Molina said. “It shows the character of our team. We don’t stop fighting until the very end.”
The Hurricanes (3-4-3, 2-1-0 ACC) stormed the pitch, dogpiling on top of Wheeler and Molina.
Wheeler’s first career goal gave Miami its first victory over Louisville (2-5-4, 1-1-1 ACC) in seven years.
“Reese is committed to doing the small details,” head coach Sarah Barnes This is one of those situations where it paid off today. You love to see a player like that get rewarded. She cares about doing the small things right. In the end today, the small things were the big things.”
The 90th-minute tally marked the Hurricanes’ latest goal since scoring as time expired to beat Boston College on Oct. 2, 2021.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Wheeler said. “It means the world to me. I’m so happy.”
Goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais made six saves to silence the Cardinals. Dagenais’ 12th career clean sheet pushed the Canadian netminder into sixth place in program history.
Following their three-match homestand, the Hurricanes head to Tallahassee to take on rival Florida State. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Friday.
“This team fights until the end,” Barnes said. “They’re resilient. They don’t give up. It’s a testament to their character and makeup.”
To keep up with the University of Miami soccer team on social media, follow @CanesFutbol on X, Instagram and Facebook.
