Tar Heels Remain Scoreless Against Duke in 2 Overtimes

But they couldn't have expected Thora Helgadottir's performance.

The junior goalkeeper from Iceland had nine saves and held UNC scoreless for 110 minutes as the Blue Devils played the No. 2 Tar Heels to a double-overtime scoreless tie at Fetzer Field on Sunday.

The Tar Heels (13-1-3, 3-1-1 in the ACC), who were 31-1 against Duke (6-8-2, 1-3-2) entering the game, played without Lori Chalupny, Catherine Reddick, Amy Steadman and Jordan Walker. Chalupny is out for four to six weeks with ligament damage, and both Steadman and Walker are out for the season with knee injuries.

Reddick, who is in California competing with the U.S. National Team at the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, won't be back until the NCAA Tournament.

"They're excellent players, and we miss them," Dorrance said. "But it doesn't excuse the fact that we didn't come to play in the first half."

The Tar Heels played sluggishly in the first stanza, losing passes and hitting their shots wide or weakly. They had scoring opportunities, but Duke's defense smothered UNC's attack.

"Duke came out really strong," said junior midfielder Maggie Tomecka. "They played the way we always want to play, with a really strong defense, always two people attacking the ball."

In the second half, the Tar Heels played more aggressively, attacking Helgadottir and the Duke defense.

"At halftime Anson told us we had to stop playing as passively as we were in the first half," Tomecka said.

UNC outshot Duke 14-5 in the second half. The Tar Heels moved the ball with greater ease than in the first half and found open shots.

"We're doing a really good job of working the ball around and keeping possession," said forward Lindsey Tarpley. "Now we just have to finish our chances."

But Helgadottir let nothing through, making several spectacular saves.

Halfway through the second half, Helgadottir had two kick saves on consecutive shots by UNC's Alyssa Ramsey and Anne Morrell. Minutes later, the goalkeeper followed up the fancy footwork with a point-blank save in the box on a shot from Felts.

"She made one of the best point-blank saves I've seen in my life," Dorrance said.

But while Helgadottir's play stifled the UNC offense, the Tar Heels contingo hard at the goal through the half. UNC midfielder Anne Felts, fighting for the ball near midfield, knocked down Duke's Liz Wagner then got the best of a tussle with Carmen Bognanno.

"I don't want to get thrown on the ground," Felts said. "I want to show her that she can't go into a tackle and knock me over. She has to deal with me."

The Tar Heels had a final scoring opportunity from the left corner of the Duke goal box but couldn't get off a clean shot as time expired. Neither team gave ground in the first overtime. No shots were taken and play stayed in the middle half of the field.

With 6:03 to go, Ramsey, battling two Duke players for the ball, got tangled and went down hard.

The junior forward had to be helped off the field by two trainers. Dorrance said Ramsey, who was on crutches after the game, had a contusion on her leg but that the injury was not as bad as expected.

UNC continued its aggressive play in the second overtime, but was matched by a Duke team playing with an equal sense of urgency.

With five minutes remaining in the final period, the Blue Devils' Carolyn Riggs launched a high, hard shot toward the UNC goal. But senior goalkeeper Jenni Branam leaped and punched the ball over the crossbar and out of bounds.

The Tar Heels' last , and best, chance to score in overtime came with 1:59 left. Morrell, with two Duke defenders on her heels, charged the Blue Devil goal on a breakaway only to have her shot sail high and wide right.

"We want to win," Felts said. "We want to win everything and tying on this field kind of hurts."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.