Tar Heels sail to 2nd round -

Morrell and Guess score twice in rout

After a grueling ACC Tournament that included four overtime periods and a come-from-behind victory, the North Carolina women's soccer team wanted a change of pace in its next contest.

On Thursday afternoon, that's exactly what it got.

The No. 1 Tar Heels thoroughly dominated Campbell in their NCAA Tournament first-round match at Fetzer Field, beating the Camels 6-0 for their seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament victory.

"I was very happy," said Coach Anson Dorrance. "I was very happy we were able to score a couple goals early because, to be honest, we're still fatigued."

By the time Anne Morrell one-timed UNC's first goal off a cross just five minutes into the game, it seemed likely that a rout was forthcoming.

The senior forward connected again a mere 10 minutes later, this time on an unassisted shot from the left side of the box. The ball curved between the near post and Campbell goalkeeper Erin Switalski, settling into the back of the net for a 2-0 Tar Heel lead.

"The ball just happened to go through my way, and I settled it down and put it near post," said Morrell, who was thrust into a starting role when Lindsay Tarpley was injured in late September.

And while two-goal leads normally are not considered safe, Dorrance said he made an exception Thursday.

"You never feel secure because if they stick one, they're back in it," Dorrance said. "But watching the way we were playing once we got up two, I felt pretty comfortable."

Dorrance substituted liberally thereafter, so much so, in fact, that no one played all 90 minutes.

"You've got to pull (Lori) Chalupny as soon as you can," Dorrance said, giving one example. "She hasn't even played a rec-level game at anything less than an absolute sprint."

But much-needed rest for the starters was not the only thing UNC's substitutes were able to provide - they produced the team's final four goals of the match.

The most spectacular of those goals was an unassisted strike by midfielder Elizabeth Guess in the 66th minute.

The sophomore was simultaneously challenged by three Camel defenders deep in opposing territory but managed to loft a shot back across the box to the far post, where it sailed across the goal line.

"That was very entertaining, and I actually can't wait to see it in the highlight reel," Dorrance said.

While the Tar Heel offense was churning out goals, Campbell (12-2-7) did not record a shot until 32 minutes had elapsed - in the second half.

Still, Campbell coach Pat Ferguson said his team's goal was to play hard for a full game against a UNC team that has not allowed an NCAA Tournament goal since a 2-1 semifinal loss to Santa Clara in 2002.

"I wanted them to compete for 90 minutes," Ferguson said. "I didn't want Carolina to mentally break us."

Incidentally, the loss to Santa Clara also marked the last time the Tar Heels (19-0-2) lost - a span of 49 consecutive games.

And after failing to win the ACC Tournament title for the first time since 1988 - UNC tied Virginia 1-1 in the championship game but lost 5-4 in penalty kicks - Dorrance said he thinks his team might have learned something that will help as it advances to the second round.

The Tar Heels will face William & Mary on Saturday, which defeated Virginia Tech 2-1 later Thursday.

"I've looked at our TiVo recording of it, and we did a lot of things very well in that game," Dorrance said. "(Virginia) certainly exposes all of your weaknesses and ... it was a wonderful preparation."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.

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