Tar Heels Open ACC Season With Victory At FSU

Sunday, September 17

Tallahassee, Fla.

1:00 p.m.

North Carolina

5-2-0

Florida State

5-2-0

North Carolina

Florida State

Dorian Bailey headed home game-winner in 58th minute.

September 17, 2017 | Women's Soccer

Box Score UNC-FSU Box Score (PDF)Watch Game-Winner On YouTube

Dorian Bailey scores game-winner for Heels in 58th minute.

By: Dave Lohse

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – The 10^th-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team returned to the pitch after a 10-day break, earning a 1-0 victory against 16^th-ranked Florida State before a crowd of 1,371 fans at the Seminole Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon. Junior midfielder Dorian Bailey's goal in the 58^th minute was the difference in the match in the ACC opener for both teams.

Both teams are now 5-2 overall and Carolina is 1-0 in the ACC and Florida State is 0-1. The victory by Carolina improves its all-time record against the Seminoles to 26-8-4 but it was its first in the series in Tallahassee since a 2-0 win here in 2011.

The only goal of the contest came at 57:11 and it came off a corner kick. A shot by Dorian Bailey was blocked by the Seminoles over the end line for the corner. UNC senior Joanna Boyles sent a perfect corner to the 12-yard line where senior midfielder Abby Elinsky was unmarked. Elinksy headed the ball down into the turf and Bailey was Johnny-on-the-spot at the five-yard line, redirecting Elinsky's redirection like a perfect basketball bounce pass with her head over Florida State goalkeeper Cassie Miller and into the upper right corner of the goal. Bailey was stationed near the left post but flicked the ball across the goal and over the fingertips of Miller with aplomb.

Carolina had not played since losing at fifth-ranked Penn State 1-0 on September 7 and its fresh legs seemed to make a difference in the game. The Tar Heels are currently fighting an injury bug that has temporarily sidelined a group of starters, but Tar Heel head coach Anson Dorrance made liberal use of his bench, playing 17 players and showing confidence in his reserves. Florida State, conversely does not have as deep a bench as normal this season, and it made only two substitutions in the game. The Seminoles pushed hard for the tying goal for about 20 minutes before UNC was able take over possession over the last 10 minutes of the match, not allowing a shot by FSU in the final 12 ½ minutes of action.

North Carolina finished with a 12-8 edge in shots in the match and a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. UNC generated seven shots on goal – two each by Bailey and Bridgette Andrzejewski and one each by Boyles, Alea Hyatt and Madison Schultz. Cassie Miller finished with six saves for the Seminoles. Florida State finished with four shots on goal, all resulting in saves by Tar Heel goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak. The junior netminder for the Heels made five saves and recorded her third solo shutout of the campaign. Dallas Dorosy had two shots on goal for FSU while Megan Connelly and Deyna Castellanos had one each.

Leshnak saved a point-blank shot by Castellanos from about eight yards out with 32 seconds left in the first half, knocking the ball down with two hands before the Tar Heels could clear the ball over the end line for a corner kick. That was the best opportunity for either team in the opening 45 minutes. In the 64^th minute, FSU had a good chance off a free kick but Megan Connolly's dangerous header was gobbled up by Leshnak. The last shot of the game by FSU came with 12:29 left and it was arguably its most dangerous chance of the game but UNC's defense closed down on Castellanos and her shot from inside the penalty area went just high of the cross bar. Maya Worth closed down defensively on the play, forcing Castellanos to adjust and it made have been just enough to throw the dangerous International player's shot off frame.

NEXT UP FOR CAROLINA: North Carolina, which is playing its 2017 home games in Cary, N.C. while Fetzer Field is being rebuilt on campus, will play host to 11^th-ranked Clemson Thursday at 6 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The game will be played in the complex's Koka Booth Stadium and admission is free. The match starts at 6 p.m. and will be webcast nationally on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on tape delay on WCHL Radio in Chapel Hill (97.9 FM, 1360 AM). Paul Connell and John Stanley will have the call for WCHL.

ENDING FSU HOME UNBEATEN STREAK: North Carolina's 1-0 win on Sunday ended a 36-match unbeaten streak for the Seminoles at the Seminole Soccer Complex. During that streak, FSU had outscored its opponents 108-7 in Tallahassee. It's last home loss came on September 5, 2014 when Florida beat the Seminoles 2-1 in Tallahassee.

Florida State was also 70-1-3 in its last 74 home matches dating back to 2011.

SERIES NOTES: UNC is now 26-8-4 all-time against the Seminoles. Florida State's eight wins are the most all-time against Carolina, one more than Notre Dame possesses. UNC has lost only 69 matches dating back to its inaugural season in 1979.

After a 2-0 win in the regular season by Carolina in 2011, Florida State had gone 6-0-1 against UNC between an ACC Tournament win in 2011 through the 2015 campaign. Over the last two campaigns, UNC is now 2-0-1 against the Seminoles, winning 1-0 in Chapel Hill in the regular season meeting in 2016 and tying in the 2016 ACC Tournament championship game 0-0 prior to Sunday's victory by the Heels in Tallahassee.

ONE-GOAL GAMES: Beginning with the 2010 campaign, the two teams have played 12 times with FSU going 6-4-2 in those contests. Nine of the 10 wins recorded by the teams in that time have been decided by a single goal. The exception was a 2-0 win by UNC at Tallahassee in 2011. There was a 1-1 tie in Chapel Hill in 2014 and a 0-0 tie in the ACC Tournament in 2016 in Charleston, S.C.