North Carolina sophomore Elizabeth Guess walked into the makeshift interview room in the McCaskill Soccer Center on Saturday afternoon, clutching a piece of pizza in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
Minutes earlier, Guess and her women's soccer teammates had completed a convincing second-round victory in the NCAA Tournament, but when Coach Anson Dorrance looked at Guess, he wanted to know, of all things, what she was drinking.
"I don't know," she responded between bites of her pizza.
"Well, keep drinking it," Dorrance replied.
An unorthodox bit of coaching to be sure, but the meaning was clear.
Five games ago, against Maryland in the ACC Tournament, Guess was moved from her normal midfield position to the center forward slot. Since the switch, which occurred in the first overtime of the 1-0 UNC win, she has tallied six goals - five more than she recorded in the entire regular season.
"I didn't expect (this level of production)," Guess admitted after she scored two goals in Saturday's 6-0 win versus William & Mary.
While she might not have anticipated it, Dorrance knew what Guess was capable of and is thrilled to see the midfielder-turned-striker's newfound offensive brilliance.
"The way she's playing right now, it's an absolute joy watching her," he said. "Every time she gets the ball, the other team is in trouble."