Women's soccer team sweeps Duke Nike Classic

DURHAM — If Anson Dorrance has one flaw as North Carolina women’s soccer coach, it’s delivering an inspiring halftime speech with his team already well in the lead.

“I’ve never figured out how to do it,” Dorrance told reporters Sunday after No. 1 UNC dismantled No. 19 West Virginia 4-2.

“In fact, if one of you guys elect to come in and give the halftime speech when we’re up 3-0, come on in, because I don’t know what to say.”

With a striking core as potent as UNC’s, that’s a problem that could come up quite a bit this season.

The Tar Heels asserted their dominance this weekend in the Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium, knocking off a defensively stout No. 3 UCLA team 1-0 Friday before Sunday’s win against the Mountaineers.

Dorrance said the Classic might’ve been the best tournament in the country as UNC, UCLA and West Virginia joined No. 12 Duke to round out a pool of four highly ranked squads. It closed a six-game nonconference slate in which UNC went undefeated, giving the Tar Heels some momentum heading into ACC play this week.

“I think it was really good for our team,” senior forward Crystal Dunn said. “This is our last weekend before ACC starts, and I think getting a really good win against UCLA Friday boosted us up a little bit.”

UNC outshot the Bruins 23-6 and established the game-winning margin with a Dunn strike in the 79th minute. On Sunday, UNC flashed its explosiveness much earlier with two out of its first three shots finding net and a 3-0 lead at the half.

Dunn scored on both days, continuing her scorching six-goal start to the season. Fellow senior Kealia Ohai tallied her fourth goal of the year Sunday with a deft touch in the box that found the right corner.

And a few newcomers, such as freshmen Amber Munerlyn and Joanna Boyles, showcased their athleticism on the frontline — particularly Boyles, who scored on a high, bending free kick Sunday that prompted Dorrance to joke that he didn’t realize he had a Brazilian on his roster.

“I think we have some freshmen that have come in that are incredible,” said Ohai, a four-year starter. “As far as depth, this could be the best team that I’ve played on so far.”

But the Tar Heels aren’t without their weaknesses. In both games this weekend, UNC had difficulty putting away its opponent, giving UCLA some solid peaks at goal Friday night and allowing the Mountaineers to score twice in the second half Sunday.

Finishing off games is something UNC will need to address going forward, Dorrance said. But on Sunday at least, the coach took the blame.

“We wanted to see if we could score every 15 minutes,” he said, recapping his halftime speech. “Of course, I didn’t figure in with the score that we’d get one (goal), and they’d get two.

“So I’m scrapping that one. I’ll see if I can come up with a better one next time.”

sports@dailytarheel.com