But unlike Friday’s defensive struggle against Duke, which UNC won 2-1, the contest against VCU (4-10) was in favor of the Tar Heels (13-1, 4-1 ACC) from the opening whistle.
A plethora of chances in the opening moments led to a goal by Lauren Moyer 12 minutes in to give UNC an early advantage.
Throughout the first period, the Tar Heels created numerous chances but managed only one more score before half. Malin Evert found the back of the cage with less than 17 minutes left in the first frame to give North Carolina a 2-0 advantage going into halftime.
While UNC challenged Rams goalkeeper Kendall Clifton with 10 shots in the first half, it wasn’t until after intermission that the Tar Heel attack began to see all of its opportunities turn into goals.
Gab Major started the onslaught by scoring just 51 seconds into the second half. Casey Di Nardo followed, and then Emily Wold served one past Clifton in a wild six-minute span.
After the dust settled, UNC had a 5-0 lead with 28:12 left on the clock.
The Tar Heels controlled the ball for the remainder of the contest, and a VCU goal with less than 17 minutes left was the only hiccup in an otherwise dominant UNC victory.
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