Following an early exit in the Women's College Cup last year — the program's first-ever first-round NCAA Tournament loss — the North Carolina women's soccer team is hungry for redemption.
UNC heads into this year's tournament as a No. 2 seed after rallying to a 15-4 overall record and a share of first place in the ACC. Such success now pits them against the unranked Old Dominion Monarchs in a first-round bout at Dorrance Field.
Here are three keys to victory that UNC must hone in to come out victorious on Saturday:
Keep the offense powerful
The Tar Heels must find a powerful and consistent offense against a solid ODU defense. The Monarchs have one of the better scoring defenses in the Sun Belt Conference, allowing an average of just under one goal per game.
UNC will have the challenge of getting around senior midfielder Ece Turkoglu who has been a key for the Old Dominion defense. However, she will likely meet her match with UNC's junior midfielder Sam Meza. With Turkoglu standing at 5-foot-7, she has been a towering force in the air for the Monarchs.
However, their defense has yet to encounter an opponent with a high-ranking scoring offense. The Tar Heels average 2.25 goals per game, good for the 21st in the country. After a shaky ACC Tournament performance in which UNC scored just one goal in two games against Duke and Florida State, look for the Tar Heels to come out firing.
Junior forward Avery Patterson leads the Tar Heels in scoring. Still, head coach Anson Dorrance will likely try to work in other offensive pieces like First Team All-ACC selection Ally Sentnor and first-year right wing Maddie Dahlien.
