For 105 minutes, the Hurricanes kept pace with the nation’s seventh-ranked team.
Then Clemson’s Emily Byorth connected on a free kick to lift the Tigers to a 2-1 double overtime win over the Hurricanes. It was a moment that left more than a few Miami players looking a little dejected.
Then came a pep talk it’s likely few of the Hurricanes will forget when Jill Ellis, the coach who led the United States to a World Cup championship this past summer and happens to live in South Florida, stepped onto the field at Cobb Stadium on Sunday afternoon and addressed Miami’s team.