Tar Heels hand Virginia Tech Hokies ?rst loss of season

The No.18 North Carolina women’s soccer team might have been playing an opponent ranked 10 spots higher in the polls, but Thursday night, neither team cared about arbitrary rankings.

The Tar Heels jumped out early as the aggressors against No.8 Virginia Tech and defeated the Hokies 3-1 to deliver the school its first loss of the season.

“We knew they were going to come after us,” senior midfielder Maria Lubrano said. “We actually found out that they were trying to come in as underdogs. We knew that the target was bigger on our back and we had to break them early in the game.”

UNC struck first in its ACC home opener as Lubrano received a pass from Amber Brooks after a penalty corner by Ranee Premji. Lubrano received the ball in front of the goal and buried the ball into the back of the net with only eight minutes off the clock.

“Maria Lubrano has really come to play this year,” coach Anson Dorrance said. “I’m certainly excited that she scored.”

Then, about four minutes later, Brooks netted a goal of her own on a penalty kick.

But the Tar Heels weren’t satisfied with the early 2-0 lead in the first half.

UNC waited 20 more minutes before slamming the door on the Hokies before the first half came to a close.

Junior defender Meg Morris ripped a shot toward the goal, but instead of finding the back of the net, the ball wildly ricocheted off the crossbar. Junior midfielder Kelly McFarlane corralled the loose ball and sent it back into the box, this time to senior forward Alyssa Rich, who sent the ball past the goalkeeper and into the lower right corner.

“Sometimes it’s a bit scary to (score early) because you kind of lay back and sit back a bit more,” Lubrano said. “Getting the third goal was huge because a 2-0 lead is kind of still frantic. They get one goal and they’re back in it. But scoring a lot of goals is great, and scoring three goals that early is fantastic.”

It wasn’t until the 37th minute that Virginia Tech netted its only goal.

The Tar Heels were able to control and dominate Virginia Tech’s offense with one of the stronger defensive units they’ve had all season. Freshman defender Katie Bowen returned after an injury sidelined her for the Virginia draw.

“We’re thrilled to get players back,” Dorrance said. “I thought Katie Bowen had a significant game for us. She’s going to allow us to do all kinds of things, allowed us to keep Amber Brooks at midfield … and allowed us all kinds of flexibility to place Crystal Dunn in other positions.”

The win against the Hokies was just the first hurdle that UNC faces this week. The Tar Heels will face No.1 Florida State on Thursday.

“It’s a strange situation for Carolina to playing a higher ranked team,” Lubrano said. “Honestly, every team plays us differently than they play every other team.

“Whoever is coming after us, we have to make sure that we’re at the top of our game because they’re gonna have — if it’s not the best game of their life — they’re working the hardest and trying their best not to lose to us.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.