The No. 4 North Carolina women's soccer team (4-0-2, 0-0 ACC) clawed back to produce an important 3-1 win over No. 8 Arkansas (3-1-1, 0-0 SEC) at Dorrance Field on Sunday.
The Tar Heels showed their ability to keep their composure while down against a fellow top ten team. After falling out of the top three in Division I rankings, UNC looked to cement its status as one of the top teams in the nation.
Within the first 15 minutes, the Tar Heels came out aggressive, maintaining majority of possession while producing four shots compared to the Razorbacks' one. Despite UNC’s promising start, it still struggled in the attacking half, often losing possession on long balls.
Taking advantage of a mistake from the Tar Heels' back line, Arkansas forward Anna Podojil drew first blood in the 23rd minute. The goal shifted the game's momentum, allowing for the Razorbacks to start applying pressure against the Tar Heels.
After trailing for 17 minutes, UNC fought hard towards the end of the first half, resulting in a clutch goal by first-year forward Mia Oliaro from outside the box — the first in her career.
“I got the ball and you know, I thought, why not?” Oliaro said. “Anson [Dorrance] keeps telling me to practice, like, 'take your shots.' He wants us to hit the frame, so I just made sure I shot it right where I didn't see the keeper."
The half ended on a physical note, with a potential red card from Podojil, resulting in a review from the video assistant referee that lasted for over 10 minutes. While Podojil was not carded, Arkansas defender Ella Riley received a yellow card in the 42nd minute.
Despite the Razorbacks' aggressiveness, head coach Anson Dorrance enjoyed the challenge.
“We want to play those kinds of teams because we don’t want to have a style to play against that could cause us to get knocked out," Dorrance said. “We played against, in my opinion, one of the most aggressive teams in America. So there’s not going to be another team out there that's going to put us under more pressure than Arkansas.”
