With a 1-0 win over Florida State on the road, the North Carolina women’s soccer team ended a two-game losing streak in its first match of ACC play.
The women's soccer program hardly ever loses two games in a row, but a third might have signaled deeper trouble for a team that has struggled to score at times this season. Instead, the team got back on track just in time for conference play, where it will face some of the best competition in the country.
However, it didn't always look as if the Tar Heels would win.
Florida State pushed for goals early with a number of good chances to score.
Just over three minutes into the game, the Seminoles threatened with their first shot of the game deep in Tar Heel territory — a miss wide. By the sixth minute, the team had another chance to take the lead, possibly its best opportunity of the game, but the header missed high.
From there, a number of minutes played out without a shot before North Carolina took control with its own chance at a goal. In the 19th minute, forward Bridgette Andrzejewski missed wide on the first UNC shot of the game. But her activity jumpstarted the offense, which soon after produced the only goal of the game.
In the 26th minute, first-year Brianna Pinto failed to score twice. Her first shot sailed over the goal, and the second was blocked by FSU goalie Brooke Bollinger. However, the next shot taken by her team found the back of the net.
The goal finally came in the 29th minute. Forward Taylor Otto sent a ball from the defensive side of the field to sophomore forward Alessia Russo to move it out of UNC territory. Russo weaved through the middle of the field toward the opposite goal but eventually ran out of space to work.
When she did, she dished it off to the left side to first-year Rachel Jones, who finished for the goal from 15 yards out. In her first career start, Jones scored her first career goal to make the score 1-0.
