The North Carolina women’s soccer team isn’t a fan of the “underdog” tag.
That much became clear in the opening minutes of Thursday night’s game against No. 4 Duke.
Early on, the No. 10 Tar Heels entrenched themselves in the attacking third of Fetzer Field, routinely visiting the end line with three earned crosses in the first three minutes.
But matched up against a top-ranked defense, the Tar Heels consistently came up empty.
“They were attacking, but they were not dangerously attacking,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “They were wide. They were shoving balls in. (Goalkeeper Tara Campbell) made saves, but they were nothing spectacular.”
Averaging just .33 goals allowed per game, Duke came to Fetzer tied for first in the ACC and third in the nation in terms of scoring defense, and the Blue Devils displayed that defensive prowess early and often.
Despite controlling possession for much of the first half, the Tar Heels weren’t able to put their first shot across until a Courtney Jones attempt in the 16th minute, as they saw most of their chances dissolve in the Blue Devil goal box.
“We knew we had to come out really hard, and they came out really hard also,” said sophomore Kealia Ohai, who scored the game-winning shot in the 88th minute. “It was almost a little panicked at the beginning, and everyone was so intense.”
In the first half, that intensity was visible in two powerful shots by Ohai and Jones that both sailed over the Blue Devil net and in the flurry of four UNC shots delivered in the final nine minutes.
