2nd-half flurry sparks win

DURHAM - For the first 75 minutes of Sunday's women's soccer game against Alabama-Birmingham, it looked like the theme would be how many North Carolina shots didn't go in rather than how many did.

After the No. 1 Tar Heels bombarded UAB's goal with 29 shots to no avail, it took a corner kick, a commotion, and a punch-in by the captain of the defense for the game's first goal.

Kendall Fletcher converted the attempt with an assist by Elizabeth Guess that finally punctured UAB's battered defense and paved the way for a 4-0 North Carolina victory in the Duke adidas Classic at Koskinen Stadium.

"(Midfielder) Yael (Averbuch) looked at me and said, 'Put it in, we need this,'" Fletcher said. "Libby flicked it past her defender, I footed it, and it found a spot."

The goal was not the most picture-perfect of Fletcher's career, but the lack in style was made up for by giving UNC the edge it had searched for all game.

Though almost the entire game was played on UAB's half of the field, UNC's shots on goal flew all around the goal, but not quite in. Still, the Tar Heels kept attacking.

"The first goal was a bit of a scramble," said Coach Anson Dorrance, "but that goal was a result of us being in their box all game."

And Fletcher's goal paved the way for more scoring.

Less than two minutes later, midfielder Jaime Gilbert sent a cross to forward Heather O'Reilly, who punched it past the goalie for a 2-0 lead.

The Tar Heels added a goal from midfielder Kacey White and forward Lindsay Tarpley in the barrage.

"It's very frustrating playing against these bunkers," Guess said, referring to the strategy of packing many defenders around the goal.

"But you've got to keep attacking. Coach stresses how important it is to score the first goal. After that, we got a lot more confidence."

Yet lost in the bustle of scoring was another strong performance by UNC's defense.

They allowed only one shot by UAB (3-5) all game as goalie Aly Winget overcame an early collision to post another shutout.

"It starts up top," Fletcher said. "Our forwards have been playing great, and they start our defense in many ways."

Such was the case in Friday's game against San Diego (2-5) as well.

The Tar Heels limited the Toreros' shots while getting plenty of their own in a 3-0 victory.

Midfielder Lori Chalupny got the scoring started in the first half with a pinball goal from 22 yards out that bounced off the crossbar, hit the San Diego goalie in the back of the head, and then redirected back towards the net.

Tarpley scored the second goal and forward Brynn Hardman tapped one in the second half for the final score. It was Hardman's first goal since 2002.

North Carolina boosted their record to 8-0-0 after the weekend and now will start conference play Thursday at Florida State.

The Tar Heels hope that constantly attacking the goal, whether or not the shots go in, will continue to pay off.

"We've got to do a better job of finishing them off," Fletcher said. "But hey, you've got to shoot to score."

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.