Women's Soccer Shows Depth

The Tar Heels, whose roster sports starters with U.S. National Team experience, have seen their bench step up in their five post season games.

"I'm very pleased with our depth," said UNC coach Anson Dorrance. "Our entire roster has been contributing in all kinds of very real ways."

Since postseason play began, the Tar Heels have gotten goals from Leea Murphy, Jane Smith and Sophie Gervais, three players who this season have seen action in a combined 26 games.

"You need to have depth. You need to have lots of subs so that our starters can rest," said senior goalkeeper Jenni Branam. "Our reserves have been producing goals. That's just amazing that we can sub a team to death and just run them to death."

Murphy, a freshman walk-on from Tecumseh, Kan., scored her first career goal on Nov. 10 in the Tar Heels' 6-0 romp of Clemson in the ACC Tournament championship game.

In North Carolina's NCAA opener against Radford on Friday, she scored on a header off an assist from Maggie Tomecka.

Then on Sunday, against Wake Forest, Murphy had two scoring opportunities -- both headers off crosses -- that narrowly missed.

"She's been a great success story for us," Dorrance said. "She's basically our Energizer bunny. You throw her out there, and she never stops moving."

Dorrance said he can only take four out-of-state players each year and with the stellar signing class of 2002, there were no scholarships left for Murphy.

But Dorrance encouraged her to walk on, and she has taken advantage of the opportunity.

"You've got to work your butt off in practice," Murphy said. "That's where you get your PT. It's a battle in practice all the time. Everybody's working to get their spots."

Smith, a forward, and Gervais, a midfielder, both saw minutes against Radford on Friday and both found the back of the net.

Gervais, who now has three goals on the season, scored her second one in the ACC championship game against Clemson.

The off-the-bench output has given Dorrance a cushion, allowing him to rest his starters.

"If we have people who can play, and score and provide energy and give everything they've got, it helps a lot," Gervais said. "Our bench is pretty deep, and everyone can play."

The players who come off the bench for the Tar Heels have shown in the postseason that they are not just content with holding the line. They are playing with an aggressiveness that has found them shots and a resilience that has kept them in the game.

"They know that as soon as they stop running, they're out of the game," Branam said. "So the longer they run, the longer they get to play."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.