Jones tallies hat trick, assist in win over Duke

DURHAM — Going into the North Carolina women’s soccer game against Duke, forward Courtney Jones led the ACC in assists.

But the 5-foot-8 junior decided she wasn’t taking a backseat any longer. Thursday night in Durham, Jones was a one-woman show.

The Tar Heels won a 5-3 shootout in Koskinen Stadium, and Jones led the way with her second career hat trick and an assist.

“At the beginning of the year, I was getting really frustrated just because I wasn’t scoring,” Jones said. “I had a lot of assists and no goals, and I just felt like this was my year to score. I’m totally fine with assists if our team is winning, but it’s definitely nice to get a few goals.”

The match was almost eerily familiar to Sunday’s 2-1 loss against Maryland.

For the second game in a row, Jones sent a pass from freshman Crystal Dunn into the back of the net for UNC’s first goal of the night. Throughout the game, the Blue Devils continued to rally after each Tar Heel score.

But the last thing Jones wanted was a repeat of Sunday, when the Terrapins came from behind to hand the Tar Heels their second loss of the season.

“I was scared, just because it happened to us last game so it was so familiar,” she said. “Our defense made a few mistakes … but us forwards, we’re supposed to make up for that. So if another team scores, you get right back there and score. That’s all I was thinking the entire game.”

Though the Blue Devils trailed for most of the game, Duke had six shots on goal and ten total attempts — its persistence just wouldn’t quit.

Luckily for North Carolina, neither would Jones’.

Less than a minute into the second half, freshman Kealia Ohai dribbled the ball down the sideline and attempted a cross to Dunn. The ball bounced around in the box and, in the right place at the right time, Jones tapped it through the legs of a Blue Devil defender and the goalkeeper.

“It was just sort of a mess-up goal,” Jones said.

Jones’ hat trick was the first since her freshman year, and her four points are the most she’s had in a single game. With eight of North Carolina’s 20 shots on Thursday, Jones was the undeniable fuel behind the Tar Heels’ rebound win.

“Even when she’s not scoring goals she’s contributing,” coach Anson Dorrance said. “She works hard for us defensively, and she’s always whipping balls across the frame from the right side.”

With twelve assists so far this season — five more than any other Tar Heel on the roster — Jones has been a consistent aid to her teammates.

But even Dorrance admitted that sometimes, Jones just wants to do it all by herself.

“She’s a striker, and all strikers love to score goals,” he said.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.