Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications
No. 2 Virginia Escapes No. 5 UNC with 0-0 Draw
On Sunday afternoon, an ACC rivalry and top five matchup took place between the #2 Virginia women’s soccer team (10-1-1, 3-0-1 ACC) and the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1-2, 1-1 -2 ACC). The game was a defensive battle that ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
The Cavaliers knew they would have their hands full in this match, as the Hoos faced the top-five Heels on the road at Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels proved to be even more of a challenge than expected, recording twice as many shots and corner kicks at UVA in the match. Given the way that Carolina outplayed Virginia in terms of generating offensive chances, it almost seems like a win for the Cavaliers that after 110 minutes of soccer, UVA and UNC played to a 0-0 draw.
The Tar Heels blitzed Virginia in the first half, taking 11 shots as well as seven corners before halftime.
To their credit, the Hoos did well to keep UNC out of the net despite having many chances to score. Laurel Ivory made three of her season-high five saves in the first half and led the Cavaliers to their eighth shutout of the season.
UNC outshot UVA 20-10 and shots on goal were 5-2 in favor of North Carolina.
Tar Heel goalkeeper Claudia Dickey saved both of Virginia’s shots on goal, one of which was an attempt by Diana Ordonez in the second overtime period, the closest UVA came to getting on the board. Haley Hopkins had the other shot on goal for Virginia in the fifth minute of the match.
The Cavalier defense was forced to defend 14 corner kicks, twice as many corners as UVA’s offense managed in the match.
This was the first time Virginia had failed to score a goal in a match since the semifinals of the College Cup last season against Florida State on May 13th.
Virginia’s record is now 10-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the ACC.
Up next, UVA plays the second of a three-game ACC road trip at Boston College on Thursday at 7pm.
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