University of North Carolina Athletics
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Clemson
Carolina Remains Unbeaten With 5-1 Win Over Clemson
September 30, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Playing at home for the first time in 26 days Friday night, North Carolina's No. 1-ranked women's soccer team broke open a close game with three goals in less than 11 minutes late in the second half, going on to beat Clemson 5-1 before the largest Fetzer Field crowd in nearly three years. Freshman midfielder Yael Averbuch and senior midfielder Lori Chalupny scored what coach Anson Dorrance termed "world-class" goals to stake the Tar Heels to a 2-1 halftime lead with Chalupny's tally in the 42nd minute counting as the game-winner, her third such of the 2005 campaign.
A crowd of 4,182 filled up Fetzer Field on the University's Family Weekend, the largest Fetzer Field throng since 4,255 saw the Tar Heels and Duke battle to a scoreless tie on October 27, 2002.
They saw a whale of a game that featured three spectacular first-half goals and a scoring blitz by the Tar Heels that started in the 77th minute and resulted in three goals in 10:07. UNC remained unbeaten and untied in 2005, one of five such teams nationally, improving to 11-0-0, 3-0-0 in the ACC. Clemson fell to 5-4-2 overall and 0-2-1 in the ACC.
UNC goalkeeper Aly Winget reached a career milestone Friday as she recorded three saves to run her Tar Heel school record career total to 201. Her 200th save came on a point blank shot by Clemson's Julie Bolt at 21:11 of the match and Winget's save kept the score tied at 1-1 at that point in the match.
Carolina, which has struggled to score first-half goals in several recent matches, got on the board right out of the gate. After a hand ball by Clemson, freshman midfielder Yael Averbuch, a native of Upper Montclair, N.J., stepped up a deposited a rocket of a free kick into the upper right netting. The ball sailed past Clemson goalkeeper Ashley Phillips and appeared to be going wide but it curled back into the upper right 90 to pace the Tar Heels to a 1-0 lead. It was Averbuch's third goal of her freshman season. Just over 11 minutes later, Clemson struck with deadly aim itself. Forward Courtney Foster was the goal scorer as she tallied her first of the year. Foster made a run up the left side, deked a UNC defender in the penalty area and then sent a tough angle shot far post from about 15 yards out. The goal tied the match at 1-1 just 13:24 into the game.
Both teams had multiple opportunities to assault the goal for the remainder of the half. Bolt had a point blank shot at Winget and UNC shot 16 times in the first half overall. Eventually, Lori Chalupny, from St. Louis, Mo., made the play that turned the game in favor of Carolina. Senior defender Kendall Fletcher served a ball from just past midfield that Chalupny trapped on the left side just outside the box. Chalupny dribbled through two defenders, moved to the middle and then rocketed a shot to the far post from about 15 yards out. It was Chalupny's sixth goal of the season. Winget's save on a shot from Clemson's Molly Johnson from the top of the 18 in the 44th minute kept UNC in the lead going to the break.
"Those are three world-class goals," UNC coach Anson Dorrance, who won his 590th career game, said. "The Clemson goal and our two goals, well, you don't see goals more attractive to watch in a soccer match than those three were."
Clemson kept the pressure on in the second half and the Tigers had three corner kicks in a span of less than two minutes in the 53rd and 54th minutes. As the half progressed and with UNC constantly pushing forward, the Tigers seemed on the verge of getting past the UNC defense on several occasions.
But UNC protected its net and its defensive line while continually pouring shots at Phillips at the other end. The Tar Heels eventually started to click on their final passes and scored on three of their final six shots of the match. Sophomore forward Katie Brooks made the score 3-1 at the 76:51 mark, garnering her third goal of the season with assists by junior forward Heather O'Reilly and senior striker Brynn Hardman. Hardman dribbled up the middle of the field, fed O'Reilly on the left side and the UNC leading scorer carried it into the penalty area before centering to an unmarked Brooks who toe poked the ball into the right side. Brooks has scored all three of her goals in the last three matches.
UNC scored again less than six minutes later on a goal by senior midfielder Kacey White, her fourth of the season. After junior forward Elizabeth Guess gained control about 30 yards out in the middle of the field, she fed White on the right side. White dribbled into the penalty area going right to left and then lofted a ball over Phillips into the upper left corner from about 13 yards away.
Carolina was not finished as the third goal in a span of 10:07 was recorded at 86:58. After a foul on the Tigers, Averbuch took a free kick from about 28 yards away that Phillips was able to knock down but not corral. Any of three Tar Heels were there to pounce on the rebound but senior forward Lindsay Tarpley proved to be the most opportunistic as she put away her fourth goal of the season at 86:58 with a solid strike into an empty net. That three-goal scoring spurt marked the eighth time this season in UNC's 11 games that Carolina has had a scoring run of either three or four goals in a period of 15:41 or less.
Heather O'Reilly moved into a tie for 20th place in career points in UNC history with her assist. She now has 108 career points, tying her for the No. 20 spot with Carrie Serwetnyk (1984-87).
The Tar Heels return to action Sunday when they visit the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. for a 2 p.m. start at Ludwig Field. UNC and the Terps went to double overtime last year on two occasions before Carolina posted 2-1 and 1-0 wins, respectively, in the regular season and the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
