University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Tennessee
Six Different Tar Heels Score As No. 1 UNC Rolls Into NCAA Quarterfinals
November 18, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 18, 2006
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Top-seeded North Carolina scored three goals in the opening 32 minutes of the match en route to a 6-2 victory over Tennessee in the Round of 16 of the 2006 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament Saturday night at Fetzer Field before 2,145 fans. Six different Tar Heel players scored in the match as UNC built a 6-0 lead before the Lady Volunteers responded with a pair of goals in the final six minutes of the match.
UNC freshman Tobin Heath had a pair of assists for UNC, while freshman striker Whitney Engen and senior forward Heather O'Reilly each had a goal and an assist in the match. Other Carolina goals were scored by Yael Averbuch, Elizabeth Guess, Ali Hawkins and Ashley Moore.
UNC (24-1) has prevailed in 24 straight matches and the Tar Heels will now play No. 13-ranked Texas A&M (17-5-2) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at 1 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The Aggies are the No. 2 seed in the top left quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket while the Tar Heels are seeded No. 1 in the quadrant as well as overall in the tournament.
The Aggies advanced to the quarterfinals Friday night with a 2-1 win over Virginia and they come to Chapel Hill as the only team to beat UNC this season. Texas A&M won the season opener between the two teams on August 25th in 1-0 double overtime thriller at College Station, Texas.
Carolina struck early and often against the Lady Vols Saturday night, putting two goals on the scoreboard in the opening 19 minutes of play. The first goal came from freshman midfielder Ali Hawkins at 13:22. Off a UNC corner kick by Nikki Washington, Hawkins sent a header that was cleared off the goal line by Tennessee defender Jenny Jeffers. The ball squirted to Tobin Heath on the left side of the pitch and she served a left-footed ball into the box and Hawkins' second header found the back of the net for a 1-0 UNC lead. The goal was the sixth of the season for Hawkins. She has scored the opening goal of the game in two of UNC's three NCAA Tournament matches.
Carolina extended its lead to 2-0 at 18:52 on Whitney Engen's 11th goal of the season off an assist by Heather O'Reilly. Engen sent a ball from the Tar Heel defensive half down the left sideline and O'Reilly got behind the Tennessee defensive back line to the ball. O'Reilly drew the defense to her on the left side of the penalty area and she centered the ball back to Engen who had sprinted 50 plus yards down the middle of the field. Engen settled the ball and then sent a shot to the lower left corner that doubled the UNC lead.
Carolina made it 3-0 at 31:12 on Yael Averbuch's 16th goal of the season. Heather O'Reilly put pressure on Tennessee goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson after a back pass by the UT defense. Johnson's clear went to UNC freshman striker Casey Nogueira who then fed Averbuch 22 yards out front of the goal. Averbuch's hard shot ricocheted off Johnson's hands and crossed the goal line for what ended up being Averbuch's seventh game-winning goal of the campaign.
After leading 3-0 at the half, the Tar Heels continued to pressure the Tennessee goal in the early stages of the second half, leading to two more goals in the first 16 minutes while extending the lead to 5-0.
Senior striker Elizabeth Guess struck for her fifth postseason goal in six games with her scoring strike at 56:03 of the match. The goal was her sixth of the season overall. Tobin Heath began the scoring sequence with a throw in off the left sideline to Whitney Engen. Engen crossed the ball to Guess who was unmarked in the box. Guess finished the scoring chance past Johnson into the lower left corner of the goal to make it 4-0 Tar Heels.
Less than five minutes later Carolina made it 5-0 on a temendous individual effort by O'Reilly. O'Reilly sped past several UT defenders on the left side and she scored from 11 yards out once getting free in the penalty area. The unassisted goal was O'Reilly's ninth of the season.
Carolina made the score 6-0 at 76:42 of the match on the first career goal by Tar Heel freshman forward Ashley Moore. Nikki Washington fed Sterling Smith in the center of the field and Smith then sent the ball on to Moore at the top of the penalty area. Moore pivoted and then squeezed a bending shot between Johnson's outstretched hands and the crossbar. It was only the fourth shot of the season for the freshman striker and her first career points.
Tennessee would not go away, however, and the Lady Vols struck for a pair of goals less than two minutes apart late in the match. At 84:24, Sarah Van Sickle floated a pass over the Tar Heel back line on the right side that senior Ali Cristoph ran on to in the box. She finished the scoring opportunity from 12 yards out in the left side of the goal. It was the sixth goal of the season for Cristoph, her played her final game in a Lady Vol uniform.
Less than two minutes later the Lady Vols made it 6-2 as Emily Redberg scored the final goal of the night and her seventh goal of the season. She was assisted on the goal by red-shirt freshman Mick Imgram and sophomore Kylee Rossi. A pair of one-touch passes by Rossi and Imgram freed Redberg in the box where she was easily able to put away the scoring chance from eight yards out.
