The No. 5 North Carolina women’s soccer team (3-0) defeated No. 16 Georgia (0-0-1), 4-3, on Thursday evening at Dorrance Field to earn the first home win of the season. The Tar Heels were led by sophomore forward Olivia Thomas who scored two goals on seven shots.
UNC dominated play in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Tar Heels won 61 percent of the possession in the first half, with buildup often spilling into the attacking third. Thomas was the focal point of UNC’s attack when she fired a trio of shots on goal in the early moments.
A stout defense held Georgia to zero shots on goal in the first half, while North Carolina continued to apply pressure via its high press and long periods of possessions that ground down the Bulldog defense.
UNC’s patience came to fruition in the 35th minute. A looping cross from senior midfielder Makenna Dominguez settled right in front of junior forward Kate Faase at the edge of the box. With a calm finish in the bottom corner of the net, Faase tallied her third goal in as many games.
North Carolina rode the one-goal lead into the halftime break.
The second half provided Georgia a breath of life from UNC’s suffocating defense. Immediately following a UGA save, the Bulldogs initiated a fast break that caught North Carolina’s back line on its heels.
“You take a little bit of a casual moment, and all of a sudden a really good forward makes you pay,” interim head coach Damon Nahas said.
Georgia forward Margie Detrizio outpaced the Tar Heel defense, before dribbling past goalkeeper Clare Gagne and simply passing the ball into the net. The goal leveled the scoring at 1-1 and opened a floodgate of scoring in the following 20 minutes.
First, it was Thomas who found the back of the net twice in a span of three minutes. Stationed near the penalty spot, the 5-foot-10 forward used her strength to receive, turn and fire a shot into the goal with a move that resembled a basketball post-up.
