Were the Tar Heels going to lose? Was their campaign for an 18th national title done for? In the third round of the NCAA Tournament?
The UNC of old eventually appeared, scored two late goals and ended the unranked Rutgers' season with a 2-1 defeat.
"We knew we needed to stick one in the net," midfielder Jena Kluegel said. "I don't think it would have been helpful if we started to panic."
The fans might have been biting their nails after possibly the worst first-half performance UNC (22-0) has produced all season, but the Tar Heels came out of the locker room surprisingly composed. Suddenly the Scarlet Knights (14-8-1) couldn't get the ball out of their defensive third, and UNC's pressure eventually caused them to break.
Rutgers' defense first cracked in the 64th minute. Maggie Tomecka collected the ball at midfield and sent it to Kluegel on the wing. Kluegel dribbled down the sideline and delivered a centering pass to freshman forward Anne Morrell. Morrell, who didn't start for the first time this season, faked out a Scarlet Knights' defender and nailed a low shot into the left side of the goal.
Whew. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief. It was a tie game.
"Sometimes it's harder to score when you know how badly you need a goal," Morrell said. "But you just do what you can. I just talk to myself in my head and tell myself to settle down."
Now it was Rutgers' turn to panic. UNC pounded five more shots on goal in the next 22 minutes, harassing the Scarlet Knights' defense to no end.
Then, in the 82nd minute, all was right for Tar Heel fans. UNC sophomore midfielder Jordan Walker took off at the midfield stripe as Kluegel brought the ball down the left sideline and centered the ball to Alyssa Ramsey. Ramsey out-muscled three Rutgers defenders and passed Walker the ball near the top of the box. Walker didn't hesitate and lofted the ball into the upper left corner of the net to clinch a North Carolina victory and put the Tar Heels one step closer to repeating as national champions. Walker's game-winner -- her third of the season -- also saved the Tar Heels from what could have been an exhausting overtime battle.
