University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Dorrance, women’s soccer captures 900th program win
Sophomore Avery Patterson headed home the winning goal 40 seconds into the second overtime to give No. 7 North Carolina a 2-1 win Sunday over No. 15 Notre Dame, the 900th win for head coach Anson Dorrance and the Tar Heel women’s soccer program.
Carolina improves to 11-2-3 overall, 4-2-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Irish drop to 12-4-1, 6-3-0 with their third loss in as many games.
Patterson took a cross from the right wing from Emily Moxley and struck the ball from the 6-yard line. It was her fifth goal of the season and third game-winner (also versus Ohio State and Pittsburgh).
Dorrance, the only head coach in the program’s 43-year history, is the NCAA record holder in wins. He is 330 ahead of former Connecticut head coach Len Tsantiris, who is second with 570. The 330-win margin is the second-largest in NCAA records.
The Tar Heels are 4-0-3 in seven overtime games this season, which equals the most OT games in program history (also seven in 2011 and 2014). The four wins in extra time also equal the school record (four in 2007 and 2014).
Carolina played all but one minute today without Maycee Bell, the All-ACC center back, who suffered a left ankle injury on a Notre Dame corner kick. She was helped off the field and was unable to return.
The Irish scored first with 31:05 to play in regulation as Korbin Albert stole the ball near midfield and sent it to Sammi Fisher, who left a pass for Olivia Wingate, who slid a low shot into the corner for the lead. It was the sixth time in the last nine games the Tar Heels allowed the first goal of the match.
Notre Dame nearly led by a pair, but Tar Heel senior goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, who was one of six UNC seniors honored in pregame festivities, came up with a stop on Wingate’s one-on-one chance.
Carolina almost got the equalizer with 20:30 to play, but Aleigh Gambone’s tap in from a few yards out was blocked on the goal line by Irish defender Kaylie Ronan.
The Tar Heels did knot the score at 1-1 with 12:01 to play. Sophomore Mollie Baker, inserted into the game three minutes earlier, found Emily Colton with a cross and Colton scored from three yards out. It was Colton’s team-best sixth goal of the season.
Carolina threatened several times near the end of regulation. Sam Meza’s shot from 20 yards caromed off goalkeeper Ashley Naylor and the right post and Naylor smothered Baker’s blast off the rebound.
Moxley almost won it herself, flicking a cross with seven seconds to play in regulation that Naylor stopped with a diving save.
Carolina outshot the Irish, 22-10, for the game. The Irish had seven of the game’s 13 corner kicks, only the second time all season UNC allowed more corners. Dickey made two saves, while Naylor made a career-high nine. She is the fifth goalkeeper in Carolina’s nine ACC games this season to record a career-high in saves.
The Tar Heels conclude regular-season play Oct. 28 at Miami.