No. 8 North Carolina (7-2, 3-0 ACC) defeated No. 11 Virginia (6-3-2, 1-1-1 ACC) 2-1 in Charlottesville on Sunday afternoon. Offensive firepower in the first half and a solid defensive performance in the second propelled UNC to the win.
What happened?
In the first half, UNC threatened from the whistle, but Virginia drew first blood.
In the 12th minute, Virginia’s Montana Sutton took advantage of a poor UNC clearance and gathered the ball in the box. She placed a high, arching shot into the top left corner of the goal for a 1-0 Cavalier advantage.
But the Tar Heels wouldn’t be held back for long. In the 24th minute, UNC forward Bridgette Andrzejewski connected with forward Alessia Russo. Her shot deflected off of a Virginia defender into the left side of the goal.
Minutes later, forward Dorian Bailey and Andrzejewski executed a give-and-go in the box, leading to a skillful strike from Bailey that beat the keeper over top and gave UNC a 2-1 lead.
They would hold that advantage for the rest of the game.
North Carolina relied on its defense in the second half. Knowing it had to make up the deficit, Virginia came out aggressive and put pressure on UNC’s defensive line.
In the second half, Virginia recorded eight shots, compared to only two shots for North Carolina, both of which came in the first five minutes of the period.
