Kate Faasse lifts UNC women's soccer to 2-0 win over Columbia

Kate Faasse rolls up her sleeves. She sprints in the high press. She makes a darting run in between the lines. The sleeves inevitably fall back down. And then, she rolls them back up. 

“I think it's a habit,” Faasse said. “I will not wear long sleeves. I feel contained.”

Scoring is becoming a habit, too. She is a growing force that opponents, like her sleeves, are struggling to contain.

Faasse scored the match-winning goal in UNC's 2-0 bounce-back victory over Columbia in the nonconference finale Sunday afternoon at Dorrance Field. It was her team-leading fifth goal of the season. The junior forward played the full 90 minutes for the first time in her career on Aug. 25 against Arizona and did so again on Sunday for the fourth time this season. On Aug. 18 against Colorado, Faasse scored the equalizer in the 88th minute and then the winner with 41 seconds to go, marking her first career brace.

“She's got a little bit of a calm to her right now,” interim head coach Damon Nahas said. “She wants to be that player to make the difference.”

Faasse did on Sunday. She is the taliswoman for the Tar Heels in attack. 

In the seventh minute, she ran in behind the Columbia defense, controlled the ball and won a corner. Again in the 10th minute, she dashed in behind to get on a ball from first-year forward Linda Ullmark but couldn’t quite bend her outside-of-the-foot shot on target. 

The goal came in the 25th minute. Senior midfielder Bella Sember found Faasse in space just outside the penalty area. Her first touch was sublime, and she unleashed a near-post rocket whistling into the top corner.

“She's really coachable,” Nahas said. “She's really determined. She's become more patient with herself as well because she's such a strong critic of herself. Her ceiling is unlimited. I think for her, she sees it.”

North Carolina lost top scorers Ally Sentnor and Avery Patterson from last year's team, the two accounting for 20 of the team's 47 goals. Junior forward Maddie Dahlien is away from the team, playing (and scoring) for the U-20 National Team. And sophomore forward Olivia Thomas, who scored a brace against Georgia, is out injured. 

In the wake of all that, Faasse has emerged as a leader on and off the pitch. She is vocal in the huddle. She claps her hands before a throw-in, encouraging her teammates. And just before halftime, when the Tar Heels were out of their defensive shape, Faasse tracked back to fill the hole. Nahas said many players wouldn’t make that choice.

“We've been preaching not leaving anyone on an island, doing all the little things for each other,” Faasse said. “And I really take that to heart because I know it's difficult sometimes when somebody is not tracking back. I know what that feels like. For me, [tracking back] has been a habit of mine. And I think as a leader, we need an example. If you see somebody else doing it, then somebody else is gonna start doing it.”

In the 68th minute, a teammate tossed Faasse a water bottle from the bench, and she took a sip. She threw a fastball back and sprinted into the fray once more. That was as close as she came to coming off the pitch. 

Goals, leadership and competitiveness. But also infectious energy and personality.

“She’s one of my best friends,” Sember said. "She keeps us happy. She keeps us laughing. And then on the field, she’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever played with.”

After the match, Faasse has an ice pack taped to her foot. She cannot wait to get back to the kids waiting for an autograph.

Her sleeves had fallen back down. 

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