But that’s exactly the term he used for the No. 14 North Carolina soccer team’s scoreless draw Friday with No. 1 UCLA.
Let that sink in. A man, who has known almost nothing but winning, spent much of his time after practice Thursday excusing a draw.
That just shows the current state of UNC women’s soccer.
The Tar Heels, who take on No. 7 Penn State today and No. 18 Arkansas Sunday, currently have a 1-2-1 record, with a win against Ohio State in the Carolina Nike Classic. The team lost eight starters from the 2013 season — six to the pros, two to injury — while an additional two starters sat out the team’s 1-0 loss to No. 11 Pepperdine Sunday.
Six underclassmen now start, while several others play significantly. The new-look Tar Heels have been a mixed bag. They’ve struggled offensively, only scoring once in four games, but have played better on defense, with only two goals allowed on the season.
“Right now the strength of our team is the defense,” Dorrance said. “Every girl pressures and puts heat on the other team to make it difficult for them to come forward.”
The summer may be winding down, but the heat won’t stop for the Tar Heels. So far, UNC has played three of the top 11 teams in the country and has five more games against top 25 teams.
Despite the rigorous schedule, Dorrance has avoided game-planning specifically for upcoming opponents. With such a young team, he wants to emphasize correcting the problems his players have control over and teaching them to play within the scheme.
