Women’s soccer team tinkers with defense to mixed results

As Texas A&M’s Shea Groom went charging through the North Carolina women’s soccer team’s defense in overtime Sunday, coach Anson Dorrance knew that toying with his defensive formation had finally caught up with him.

Groom put the game away by placing a shot just to the right of goalkeeper Anna Sieloff’s outstretched arms, capping a 3-0 run for the Aggies in which the Tar Heel backline collapsed.

“We’re trying to blood a new system,” Dorrance said. “I think I stuck with it too long in the second half, and as a result Texas A&M took over the game a little bit.”

Injuries have forced Dorrance into tweaking the way the Tar Heels defense plays. Traditionally, the Tar Heels use three defenders on the backline and count on their high-pressure philosophy to thwart opponents’ forwards.

But with Satara Murray out with a quadriceps strain, Dorrance has experimented with four defenders in the back, while bumping Crystal Dunn back to the defense from midfield.

Such changes make it difficult for players to find their flow.

“I don’t knock the fact that we went to a four back instead of keeping a three back,” Dunn said. “But changing it up a little creates a bit of chaos.

“It was working for a while, but (there was) just a lack of communication sometimes.”

Sieloff, who entered the game at halftime, didn’t like how the new formation influenced UNC’s mindset.

Sieloff was drilled with 11 shots as Aggie forwards consistently got good looks inside the box.

“Defensive shape is supposed to make us feel more safe and conservative,” Sieloff said. “I think we took that too literal. I think with four in the back we kind of feel more safe and kind of take a less direct approach.

“We kind of sat back a little and were hesitant, and we weren’t going after them as much as in the first half.”

The defense wasn’t all bad for UNC during the weekend.

The Tar Heels also played UNC-Greensboro on Friday, winning easily, as they only allowed four total shots.

Dorrance didn’t attribute the domination against the Spartans to his game plan, though.

“I don’t think it’s anything we did defensively,” Dorrance said. “I think we have superior talent. If they had our talent, trust me, they would’ve had shots in the first five minutes.”

Following the game Friday, Dorrance said he wanted to try different formations for specific situations.

“We’re trying to figure out ways to salt away games,” Dorrance said. “The 3-4-3 is not the best shape to salt away a game in because it’s a high-risk system.”

After giving up three straight goals for just the second time in program history on Sunday, it’s clear the Tar Heels still need to look for the right formation.

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