The stands in Dorrance Field on Thursday were mostly empty, and only a few fans were spaced out in the Carolina Blue seats, mustering as much noise as they could.
Despite the lack of attendance, the ACC No. 1 North Carolina women’s soccer team (4-0-0, 4-0-0 ACC) brought the energy on both sides of the ball in a dominant 2-0 win against ACC No. 3 Clemson (3-1-0, 2-1-0 ACC).
The Tar Heels' offense was aggressive right from the beginning. They kept the ball in their half of the field for much of the game, putting the pressure on Clemson’s back line until they were able to take advantage.
Sophomore forward Isabel Cox made a spectacular play, weaving her way through defenders in the box to find an open teammate, Sam Meza, in traffic for a goal, which impressed even her head coach, Anson Dorrance.
“Her pace was so extraordinary, her dribbling ability is so good and her composure in the box to then find Sam Meza in a seam for Sam to finish from close range was Izzy Cox at her best,” Dorrance said.
The ball traveled right into the feet of an unsuspecting Meza, a first-year forward, who buried the ball into the back of the net.
“I was kind of shocked, to be honest,” Meza said.
Cox, Meza and the rest of the offense did not slow down after taking the early lead. UNC’s midfielders and attackers continued to fly down the field, beating the defenders to the ball. They appeared a step ahead of their opposition, leading to a handful of golden scoring opportunities.
“Some of the stuff we did to create chances was very good. We also created some corner kicks, which for us is a weapon,” Dorrance said.
