Coach Anson Dorrance had one message for his No. 7 North Carolina women’s soccer team ahead of Sunday’s game against Fresno State: score.
And that they did, racking up seven goals — a higher mark than the Tar Heels reached in any game in 2014 — in the team's 7-0 win against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Sunday at Fetzer Field.
Before two minutes ticked off the clock, senior midfielder Katie Bowen made a beautiful pass to Summer Green for an easy finish. Green wouldn’t stop there, as she scored on a 25-foot unassisted goal just minutes later to extend the Tar Heel lead to two.
UNC peppered Bulldog goalkeeper Nicole Theroux with shot after shot in the first half. Theroux saw seven shots on target but only managed two saves as the Tar Heels blew the game wide open.
With the score at 5-0 to begin the second half, Dorrance flexed his bench.
The team kept its back three in throughout the game but threw 15 substitutes at Fresno State in the midfield and at the forward position. And despite playing its second and third strings, UNC still maintained dominance throughout.
Through good offense and possession maintenance, the Tar Heels muffled Fresno State’s every attempt at goal. The Bulldogs could only muster one shot in the second half, which flew far over the top post.
With just over 25 minutes to play, UNC sophomore Annie Kingman delivered a strike. The sophomore took a touch outside of the box and tucked her shot cleanly into the top right corner.
Just 49 seconds later, Emily Bruder broke away behind the defense to score UNC’s last goal of the game.
