North Carolina women's soccer defender Rachel Givans returns for a 3-0 shutout against N.C. State

RALEIGH — North Carolina defender Rachel Givan hadn’t played since she went out with an injury in the first half of the 2010 season opener.

So when she asked to come out in the first half of her return to the field Friday night, women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance was a little worried.

But when Givan jogged to the sideline in the 19th minute with the match against N.C. State still scoreless, the concerned coach breathed a sigh of relief.

“She subbed herself out for what we thought was a ridiculous reason. … We thought she was hurt, but she wasn’t. I think she wanted to be stretched or something,” Dorrance said. “There was no injury risk. I would have preferred to have left her out there.”

Givan, one of two Tar Heels named to Soccer America’s preseason All-America team, led the 2009 team in minutes played and started all 27 games in its national championship run.

In its first game of the season, UNC beat No. 8 Texas A&M 3-0, and a defense led by Givan in the first half helped earn North Carolina’s 28th shutout in 38 games.

But much like the Aggie offense, UNC’s lone veteran defender was also out of commission in the second half of the match.

She missed the next 10 games due to a knee injury, but her focus remained on the team.

“I’ve spent a month on the bench, and I’ve gotten to see the defense and the way they are moving and how we should have been doing it,” Givan said. “So I knew what I needed to do when I came in.”

In the 3-0 victory against the Wolfpack, Givan made her first start since the injury and helped lead the Tar Heels to their sixth shutout of the season.

In the almost 65 minutes she played against N.C. State, the three-year starter was vocal, helping organize a young defense against an extremely physical Wolfpack squad.

But her contributions weren’t just evident on the counterattack.

With less than 27 minutes to go in the game, Givan trapped a ball from an N.C. State corner kick, and her spot-on service allowed for an accurate feed to striker Elizabeth Burchenal, followed by Courtney Jones. Jones fired a rocket to the back of the net to put UNC ahead 2-0 and hand Givan her second assist of the season.

“I saw their defense running out and our forwards posting up, so I just figured I’d hit it back in there,” Givan said. “Burch and Courtney did a great job.”

When the final buzzer sounded, a smiling Givan met her team in a huddle. Leading a much improved defensive unit to a victory against a conference rival made the trip to Raleigh a successful one for the soft-spoken standout.

And for Dorrance, Givan’s return to the pitch gave him one more reason to celebrate.

“It’s not so much that she’s more dynamic than everyone else, but she is more experienced,” he said. “I was happy that Rachel played so much and played so well. We’re a much better team when she’s on the field.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.