No. 18 North Carolina (3-1-1) beat No. 12 Marquette (3-1-1) 4-0 on Friday at the Duke Nike Classic in Durham for its third straight shutout win.
It was the team’s largest margin of victory since its 5-0 second-round win against Baylor in last year’s NCAA tournament.
Freshman striker Summer Green, back for her third of four games before she leaves for the Under-17 United States national team next week, scored twice and was a constant nuisance for the Golden Eagles’ defense with a number of attacking runs and clever footwork.
Fellow freshman Paige Nielsen scored the first goal of the contest, and senior Amber Brooks slotted home a penalty kick in the 71st minute for the game’s final goal.
The win could prove to be bittersweet, though.
With 30 minutes left in the first half, sophomore defender Caitlin Ball went down with a leg injury. She was helped off the field and did not return.
Coach Anson Dorrance said there has been no official diagnosis, but Ball sat on the bench with her leg extended and wrapped in a bandage for a portion of the second half.
It could prove to be a tough blow to the Tar Heels, who are already without senior defender and two-year starter Megan Brigman. Brigman broke her leg in the team’s season-opening loss to Portland and has been out since.
UNC plays San Diego on Sunday at 11 a.m. in its last non-conference game of the regular season.
Of note: UNC is looking forward to the return of Crystal Dunn, Kealia Ohai and Bryane Heaberlin, who play for the U.S. in the U-20 World Cup final Saturday in Tokyo and will come back to Chapel Hill next week … 22 UNC players saw action against Marquette; Dorrance said by the NCAA tournament he typically has a 14-player rotation … Green has now scored three goals in three games, and she also has two assists
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
