As the North Carolina women’s soccer team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Liberty began, the stands that are usually a sea of Carolina blue were anything but.
“At the beginning of the game Liberty (fans) outnumbered us,” coach Anson Dorrance said after his team’s 4-0 win. “I wish all the schools supported their teams in this fashion.”
Though Liberty failed to score a goal, and was outshot 23-3 by the Tar Heels, Flames fans were never discouraged.
Hooping and hollering for the game’s entirety, the fans in red provided Fetzer Field with a unique atmosphere — one that was welcomed by UNC’s players.
“It was weird when I looked up and there was a lot of red,” sophomore forward Summer Green, who had two assists on the day, said. “It’s cool to see how respectful and how much support they have for their team.”
Though some teams’ fan bases have a tendency to become volatile and negative toward perennially successful teams like UNC, the men and women in red were nothing but positive all game Saturday.
As the goals began pouring in for UNC, the cheering didn’t stop. And while the Tar Heels did what they could to silence the rowdy yet respectful bunch, they couldn’t.
“Usually an opponent’s team’s fans aren’t the most positive creature, but the thing I love most about Liberty is they were in full support of their team,” Dorrance said. “It’s a positive credit to their fans.”
Even when the Flames faced a nearly insurmountable deficit, one they wouldn’t even put a dent in, their fans polluted the air with an abundance of chants and songs.
