'Our best result of the year': UNC women's soccer defeats Clemson to stay unbeaten

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.

One of those chances came in the 25th minute after a cross hit the hand of a Tiger defender in the box. North Carolina would be awarded a penalty, which junior Rachel Jones calmly converted. 

While the second half was scoreless,  North Carolina maintained its intensity until the final whistle. The team finished with a 13-6 lead in shots and 6-1 in corner kicks. 

The defense also fed off of the early energy, stifling a potential Clemson counterattack. The unit got key takeaways when the Tigers tried to get back into the match. The Tar Heels kept them from getting inside the box, holding them to only two shots on goal. 

Whenever Clemson was able to squeak the ball through UNC’s defense, junior goalkeeper Claudia Dickey put herself in a great position to make saves, finishing with two in the shutout victory.

The group played with lots of physicality, throwing their bodies around to regain possession. This was a big reason why they were able to shut out a team that scored 10 goals its first three games. 

“Collectively, we were really diligent and working defensively. It was really simple for me to just get the ball,” Meza said. 

The defense was without Lotte Wubben-Moy, who went pro after opting out of the season and leaving Chapel Hill a year early, and first-year starter Paige Tolentino, who was held out with an injury. But the Tar Heels were still able to earn their third consecutive shutout. Through four games, UNC has only allowed one goal.

The Tar Heels overcame the lack of noise and fought hard against a talented Clemson team. 

“That was probably our best result of the year,” Dorrance said. 

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