No. 4 UNC women's soccer dominates Louisville, 5-0, to record sixth straight win

The No. 3 UNC women’s soccer team (12-1, 5-0 ACC) defeated Louisville (6-4-2, 1-3-0 ACC), 5-0, on Thursday night at Dorrance Field to push North Carolina to its sixth straight victory. 

Led by junior midfielder Kate Faasse's brace and new faces rising to the occasion, the Tar Heels dominated offensively from the beginning of the match. During the 90 minutes, Louisville only recorded one shot on goal with UNC holding the Cardinals to three total shot attempts. 

"The team is so close that they worked so hard to be able to give players some opportunities and the and the players that aren't playing know how they serve the team," interim head coach Damon Nahas said. 

Throughout the first half, North Carolina controlled possession. 

In the first five minutes of play, junior midfielder Kate Faasse put the Tar Heels on the board early. 

With Louisville goalkeeper Kailey Kimball away from the net and defenders too far back to stop the action, Faasse took a touch around Kimball and put the ball into the left side of the goal. 

By minute six, the Tar Heels led 1-0.

During the next 30 minutes of play, North Carolina continued to dominate the Cardinal’s half, but the Tar Heels struggled to find the net. 

Using a one-on-one matchup opportunity with Kimball, Faasse looked to notch a brace, but an off-target shot to the left kept her from reaching the back of the net. 

But UNC made Louisville’s deficit larger in the 38th minute.

Following a foul call on Louisville’s Betsy Huckaby, senior midfielder Bella Sember took the free kick, but Kimball bobbled the save. Off the rebound, first-year defender Aven Alvarez found the ball high on her right foot to force it into the net and record her first collegiate goal. 

"It was really exciting," Alvarez said. "I don't score very often so being able to score on this field with this team means a lot to me."

Louisville failed to respond in the last seven minutes of play, sending the Tar Heels into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

Throughout the opening minutes of the second period, North Carolina continued to get shots off. UNC recorded six shots in the first 17 minutes, holding Louisville to no attempts. 

In the 63rd minute, the floodgates opened once again. 

Junior defender Tessa Dellarose hit a long ball outside the left side of the box, allowing Faasse to tap it in near the front of the goal for her second career brace of the season. 

At the 74th minute, the Tar Heels found the same success. 

Using a free kick opportunity once again, Sember kicked a high-arching shot into the bottom center of the goal, but it was saved by a diving Kimball. Off the rebound, graduate midfielder Aria Nagai rushed to the goal to tap in the ball for her first goal of the season. 

North Carolina put the final nail in the coffin with a penalty kick opportunity. After senior defender Asha Means was fouled in the box, the defender crept up behind the ball and forced it into the left side of the net. 

"I took a breath and just confirmed what side I wanted to go to and hit it right there," Means said.

The Tar Heels will look to continue their win streak in California when they face Cal at 7 p.m. on Thursday. 

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