After sitting out the better part of the first half with a leg injury and watching her team go down 1-0 against the Fighting Irish (11-4-1, 4-4-0 ACC), the sixth-year senior contributed a goal and an assist, lifting the Tar Heels (12-3-1, 5-3-0 ACC) to a 2-1 win and helping snap UNC’s three-game losing streak.
“I was afraid in the first half and kind of calmed myself down,” Newfield said. “They said they wanted to limit my minutes and as a player ... you gotta work with what you got.”
In the tenth minute of Thursday’s contest, Newfield injured her knee while attempting a free kick just outside the Notre Dame box. For a player with Newfield’s injury history, any aggravation causes feelings of anxiety.
Since 2012, the Atlanta native has had a slew of leg injuries that caused her to miss significant time in her playing career. As Newfield limped off the field in the first half, Coach Anson Dorrance expected the worst.
“I was in terror because I walked over to (Newfield) and I couldn’t get anything out of her,” Dorrance said. “I was nervous ... and not just nervous for my team but I was really upset for Lex.”
The sixth-year senior would sit the remaining 36 minutes of the first half, but luckily for Dorrance and the Tar Heels, there was no major damage. After speaking with Newfield and the team trainer at halftime, Dorrance decided to limit his star-forward to 13 minutes in the second half. It was all she needed.
In the 61st minute, Newfield checked into the game with the Tar Heels down 1-0. Less than 10 minutes later, she had a chance to tie the game.
After faking a shot just outside the Notre Dame box, junior midfielder Joanna Boyles slipped a ball to Newfield, who was fouled in the box while making her run.
