The No. 10 North Carolina women’s soccer team opened conference play with a 1-0 victory over No. 16 Florida State, the preseason favorite to take home the ACC crown.
What happened?
The Tar Heels (5-2, 1-0 ACC) and the Seminoles (5-2, 0-1 ACC) battled in a scoreless first half, with scoring opportunities for both squads coming few and far between. In the first half, North Carolina got off four shots, and FSU managed three.
In the second half, the field opened up. North Carolina fired eight shots, and Florida State tried five. In the 58th minute of the contest, Joanna Boyles delivered a cross that connected with Abby Elinksy, whose header rebounded off the grass and found the head of Dorian Bailey, who sneaked it just by the Florida State goalkeeper’s outstretched arm.
It was Bailey’s third goal of the season, and it effectively put the Tar Heels up for good.
Who stood out?
Tar Heel goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak notched four saves — including a point-blank Florida State shot at the end of the first half — en route seizing her third clean sheet in four games.
The junior from Liberty Township, Ohio, has played every minute possible this year after only seeing the field in five games through both her first and sophomore years on the roster.
