North Carolina
Baylor
Tar Heels Advance To Round of 16 With Win Over Baylor
November 18, 2011 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 18, 2011
Post-Game Press Conference With Dorrance, Ohai and Brooks (mp3)
GAINESVILLE, FLA. - The 19th-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament Friday night as the Tar Heels defeated Baylor 5-0 in second round action before a crowd of 1,052 at James G. Pressly Stadium on the University of Florida campus. This marks the 30th consecutive year in which the Tar Heels have won their opening two NCAA Tournament games.
UNC got goals from sophomore midfielder Kelly McFarlane, junior defender Megan Brigman, sophomore forward Elizabeth Burchenal and senior forward Emmalie Pfankuch and also benefitted from their first own goal of the season in putting away the Bears, who finished the season 15-4-3. UNC improved to 13-5-1 on the campaign and will play UCF in the third round of the tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. at James G. Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. The Knights knocked off No. 2 seed and homestanding Florida 3-2 Friday night in the second game of the doubleheader.
Sophomore forward Kealia Ohai recorded assists on two of the first three goals for UNC while sophomore midfielder Crystal Dunn, junior midfielder Ranee Premji and redshirt junior midfielder Maria Lubrano also were credited with helpers for UNC which claimed its 110th all-time NCAA Tournament victory Friday. The Tar Heels are now 110-8-1 in 30 NCAA Tournament appearances.
After UNC starting goalkeeper Adelaide Gay saved a shot by Baylor's Bethany Johnston at 12:45, North Carolina drew first blood in the match less than a minute later. Sophomore midfielder Kelly McFarlane scored her third goal of the season, sneaking a shot from seven yards out between the right post and Baylor goalkeeper Courtney Seelhoorst after deking a Baylor defender in the box. The goal was assisted by both Crystal Dunn and Kealia Ohai and came at 13:18 of the match.
UNC doubled its lead at the 23:50 mark on an own goal, the first the Tar Heels have been credited with this season. The sequence began with a Kealia Ohai shot being saved by Seelhorst. The ball pinged around the box for what seemed like an eternity before Ranee Premji served a ball from the left side of the box across the frame where it was inadvertently redirected into the left side of the goal by Baylor midfielder Hanna Gilmore.
In the succeeding minutes Amber Brooks twice had shots on frame parried away by Seelhorst for corner kicks.
Exactly four minutes after the second goal UNC made it 3-0 as it earned its third goal off a corner kick in the last two games. Ranee Premji served the corner from the right flag where Kealia Ohai redirected the ball across the frame to the far post. Tar Heel defender Megan Brigman was there to bury a shot into the back of the net from the three-yard line. The goal came at 27:50 of the match and was Brigman's fifth goal of the year. She had only one goal in her first two years combined.
The Tar Heels finished off the scoring in the first half at the 39:59 mark of the period as reserve forward Elizabeth Burchenal tallied her first goal of the season. Burchenal gathered in a ball in the attacking third, dribbled into the box and sent a shot from 13 yards out on the right side that tucked just inside the left goal post for a 4-0 UNC lead.
The four first half goals were the most scored in the first half of a game by the Tar Heels since they led 4-0 at halftime against Middle Tennessee on September 17, 2010. It was the first time the Tar Heels had scored four goals in any half since August 28 of this season when they scored four second half goals in a 6-1 win over Houston.
UNC finished the half with a 7-2 edge in shots, including a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal. Adelaide Gay made one first half save for UNC while Courtney Seelhorst had two saves in the first half for Baylor. The Tar Heels had four corner kicks in the first half to one for Baylor.
There was a wealth of back and forth action from the two teams in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Seelhorst made saves on shots by Crystal Dunn at 52:32 and by Kealioa Ohai at 56:58. Meanwhile, Anna Sieloff came on at halftime in the goal for UNC and she made her only save of the half on a strike by Baylor's Natalie Huggins at the 54:10 mark.
The Tar Heels increased their lead to 5-0 with 23:14 left in the second half as senior striker Emmalie Pfankuch scored her third goal of the season and her first tally since scoring against Ohio State on September 4. Midfielder Maria Lubrano sent a through ball behind the Baylor back line and Pfankuch ran on to the ball and finished one-on-one against the goalkeeper from eight yards out.
Seelhorst went on to make three more saves for the Bears, denying a header by Carolina Taylor Ramirez at 78:31 and shots by Maria Lubrano at 84:14 and by Elizabeth Burchenal with nine seconds remaining. Baylor's best chance to score came at 80:59 when a shot by Alexa Wilde was saved off the line by UNC midfielder Ranee Premji. That defensive save preserved UNC's first shutout since it beat Boston College 1-0 on October 20.
Carolina finished the game with a 14-7 edge in shots, including a 12-3 edge in shots on goal. UNC also had a 6-3 margin in corner kicks.
Since UNC placed only three of its 18 shots on frame against Florida State on October 30, the Tar Heels have shot on frame 24 of 33 times in NCAA wins over William and Mary and Baylor. Those 24 on frame shots have resulted in nine goals.
