Short handed women's soccer team ties Virginia

Kealia Ohai’s offense kept the North Carolina women’s soccer team in the game. But defensive injuries might have kept the Tar Heels from winning it.

Ohai scored twice and No. 12 UNC (4-2-2, 0-1-1 ACC) tied No. 8 Virginia 2-2 on the road Sunday.

But the defense is shorthanded, which is causing UNC problems.

North Carolina is playing down three defensive starters. The Tar Heels lost Megan Brigman in their first game of the year, Caitlin Ball against Marquette on Sept. 7 and Katie Bowen against Maryland on Thursday.

The injuries are taking their toll.

After losing their season opener, the Tar Heels shut out five straight teams. But since Bowen got hurt, the Tar Heels are 0-1-1.

In those two games, the Tar Heels gave up four goals and were upset by unranked Maryland.

If not for Ohai’s efforts, Virginia could have knocked off UNC as well.

“The quality that separated (Ohai) on the international level and helped the United States win a world championship at the U20 level is the fact that she can sprint for 90 minutes,” coach Anson Dorrance said. “Well, that’s what she did for us (against Virginia).

Ohai put the Tar Heels ahead 1-0 near the end of the first half when she took a through ball from Reilly Parker and scored on a breakaway.

Then, after Virginia’s Caroline Miller scored twice in a six-minute span early in the second half, Ohai answered on another breakaway, this time off a pass from Meg Morris.

There was no more scoring after Ohai’s second goal, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie after two overtime periods.

“This might be the best Virginia team I’ve ever seen in my life,” Dorrance said. “And with our injuries, we’re sort of piecing a unit together to play.”

Because of the defensive injuries, Crystal Dunn — one of the team’s best scorers — has been forced to move from forward to defense to strengthen the back line.

Without Dunn on the attack, North Carolina’s offense becomes more limited, especially with leading scorer Summer Green away with the U.S. U17 World Cup team.

“We moved Crystal Dunn to the back, which is tough on our offense because she’s incredible,” Ohai said. “But she is one of the best defenders in the country so having her back there has helped us so much.”

And it won’t get any easier for UNC. Three of the Tar Heels’ next four games are against top 10 teams.

UNC plays No. 9 Virginia Tech, No. 1 Florida State and No. 5 Boston College in the next three weeks.

“Every team that plays us wants to beat us and we’re going to get their best game,” Ohai said. “As long as we go out there and play as hard as we can and just completely dominate our zones then we’re going to keep getting better.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.