Women's soccer falls to Texas A&M in overtime

In hindsight, maybe North Carolina should’ve seen it coming.

All throughout Sunday’s game, the Texas A&M women’s soccer team nipped at UNC’s heels, showing flashes of the team that was ranked 11th in the nation before the season began.

But the Aggies were also coming off a 7-2 loss to Duke, and with a two-goal deficit to No.1 UNC with 20 minutes left to play on Sunday, a comeback seemed anything but likely.

But then it happened.

After rattling off two goals late in the second half, the Aggies managed to steal possession in the midfield early in overtime. And as Aggie forward Shea Groom broke away from the rest of the pack in the 91st minute, there was little UNC goalkeeper Anna Sieloff could do to save the Tar Heels.

“It was a quick counter, and our backline wasn’t ready for it,” Sieloff said. “Shea Groom, the Texas A&M forward, had a great finish, great touch. And good for them. It’s just the way it goes.”

The 4-3 loss was UNC’s (5-1) first of the season, and it marked the first time that UNC has ever lost a game in which it had a two-goal lead. Despite trailing for most of Sunday’s contest, the Aggies (4-4) asserted themselves offensively, outshooting UNC 20-13 and testing goalkeepers Adelaide Gay and Sieloff with 10 shots on goal.

“I think even in a lot of (Texas A&M’s) losses, their shot totals have been good,” coach Anson Dorrance said. “They’re a team that looks to hammer you at every opportunity.”

Sunday’s game was UNC’s final matchup in the Duke Nike Classic, and on Friday the Tar Heels locked horns with a UNC-Greensboro team that offered far less resistance than the Aggies.

With goals by junior midfielder Ranee Premji and freshman forward Bianca Gray in the first half, UNC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. And buoyed by an oppressive defensive effort, the Tar Heels never came close to relinquishing it.

UNC kept the struggling Spartans (1-5) out of the shots column until the 73rd minute Friday, but by that point, UNC already had most of its starters off the field.

With nagging injuries still hampering the Tar Heels, Dorrance kept his players in constant rotation, giving his bench a chance to see action on the pitch.

“Our philosophy this weekend is certainly for us to rest legs, and in this game, that’s what we tried to do,” Dorrance said. “In the end, I think we only had one starter on the field for the last 30 minutes, and that obviously gives my reserves an opportunity to play some quality minutes at a Division I level.”

The hope, Dorrance said Friday, was to have fresh players at his disposal for Sunday’s game. And through 70 minutes, it appeared as though that strategy had paid dividends. But then it all unraveled in the final minutes.

As UNC prepares to begin ACC play against N.C. State this Friday, it’ll look to shrug off that loss and keep its season in perspective.

“We’re just going to keep training,” Dunn said. “This week is going to be brutal. I mean, I can see us doing some outrageous things, but if that’s what we have to do, then that’s what we have to do.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.