With two of its best players on the other end of the country and another sitting on the sidelines due to injury, the North Carolina women’s soccer team entered the Thursday night match against Clemson glaringly shorthanded.
“As much as it’s sad that the other kids can’t play, getting those girls in and getting them the opportunity to play on Fetzer Field for the University of North Carolina is amazing,” Jones said.
But with Crystal Dunn, Amber Brooks and Ranee Premji all out of the fold, the team’s depth was undoubtedly tested in the 2-0 win.
Dunn, a speedy sophomore forward, and Brooks, a junior playmaker in the midfield, have been away from the team since Sunday, trying out in Carson, Calif., for the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team. Midfielder Premji, who entered the night tied for the team lead in goals, was forced to ride the bench with post-concussion symptoms still lingering from a collision with Brooks last Sunday.
Early on, the patchwork starting lineup was unable to settle into a groove offensively.
“You can’t replace them,” Jones said. “Every single one of those girls just fights, and it can be anyone up against them, and they’re going to win that ball. And we missed that here tonight, especially in the first half, but I think we brought it to them in the second half.”
Initially, the team lined up in its new 4-2-3-1 formation, using sophomore Kealia Ohai at forward and sliding Emmalie Pfankuch, Kelly McFarlane and Rebecca Crabb into the vacated positions.
But that squad struggled to maintain control of the ball, and at halftime, coach Anson Dorrance decided to make a few tweaks.
The coach substituted forward Alyssa Rich into the game, slid McFarlane into Crabb’s position and stuck freshman Brooke Elby — or “The Samurai,” as Dorrance calls her — at center back.
