Aug. 23, 2008

Box Score |  Game Action 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Third-ranked North Carolina rallied for four goals in the second half to break away from a halftime deadlock to defeat Charlotte 5-1 at Fetzer Field before a boisterous crowd of 3,274. It was the season opener for both women's soccer squads as UNC improved to 649-32-19 in the 700th game in Tar Heel history. Senior midfielder Allie Long led the Tar Heels with two goals and an assist while senior midfielder Yael Averbuch, sophomore forward Katie Klimczak and freshman forward Courtney Jones each scored once.

It was the first time since 2005 that the Tar Heels have won their season opener. In 2006, Carolina lost its opener 1-0 in double overtime at Texas A&M, the Heels' first season-opening loss since a 1983 setback at Connecticut. A year ago, the Tar Heels lost their opener 1-0 to South Carolina, a loss that marked the first time in history UNC lost a home opener.

Friday's game was a different story, however, coming just a day after the United States won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China with the American side featuring four Tar Heel players -- Tobin Heath, Heather O'Reilly, Lori Chalupny and Lindsay Tarpley. A large crowd packed the Fetzer Field stands to mark the opening of the 2008 season and they saw the Heels outshoot the 49ers 27-9 while taking nine corner kicks to three for Charlotte.

UNC scored three of its five goals off corner kicks after scoring only one goal during the 2007 season off a corner kick. The 49ers were whistled for 14 fouls in the game while the Tar Heels committed six. Charlotte was called for offside violations four times while Carolina was not guilty of a violation. Lauren Brown played all 90 minutes in goal for Charlotte and made seven saves while allowing five goals. UNC's goalkeeping duo split halves with Ashlyn Harris going the first 45 minutes, making one save and allowing one goal. Anna Rodenbough played the second 45 minutes and while Charlotte took seven shots, none were on frame in the second period.

UNC got on the board in the game's 10th minute on Long's first goal of the game. Sophomore midfielder Meghan Klingenberg fed a ball into the box from the far left side where Nikki Washington nodded it on from the middle of the penalty area. Washington's flick found the foot of Allie Long who slid a shot along the ground inside the right post past Charlotte goalie Lauren Brown.

The Tar Heels had several chances to add to their lead. Brown made saves on shots by Courtney Jones at 12:52 and 16:35, including one stop on a breakaway when Jones got behind the 49er defense. Klingenberg also hit the post with a shot at the 13:06 mark of the match. Freshman Merritt Mathias also had a point-blank shot at Brown while unmarked in the box at 28:47 but her scoring effort was turned away as well by the Charlotte keeper.

Charlotte was most dangerous on the counterattack in the first half and eventually the 49ers got players behind the Tar Heel defensive line and earned a penalty kick at 34:05 after a foul in the box by UNC freshman Emmalie Pfankuch. Charlotte's Hailey Beam stepped up and sent the penalty kick into the left side to tie the score at 1-1.

There was only one shot in the final 10 minutes of the first half and the teams headed to intermission deadlocked.

Carolina came out in the second half and put two goals on the board in the first eight minutes of the second half. At 48:37, Courtney Jones scored her first goal in a UNC uniform. Klingenberg sent a corner kick from the left side into the box where it was headed by the defense to the right side of the box. Nikki Washington gathered in the ball and then sent a cross to the far post where Jones headed the ball in for a 2-1 UNC lead.

Less than four minutes later UNC extended its lead to 3-1 on the second goal of the game by Long. For the second straight time, the goal was generated off a corner kick. This time Klingenberg served the cross from the right side where Ali Hawkins, back in the starting lineup after an injury redshirt year, pushed the ball forward to Long. With her back to the goal on the three-yard line, Long settled the ball at her feet, pivoted and drove the ball into the back of the net.

In the 60th minute, Charlotte had two great chances to cut the lead to a single goal. Danielle Mayeaux sent a shot from long range that flew over Rodenbough's outstretched arms and clanged off the cross bar, dropping straight down and almost crossing the line. The ball caromed out to the 49ers' Oni Bernard whose rebound shot hit the right post before the Tar Heel defense cleared the ball out of danger.

The Tar Heels put the game out of reach at 65:44 when Yael Averbuch crushed a ball from 26 yards out into the upper left 90 of the frame. Averbuch's laser-like shot increased the lead to 4-1 and came off an assist by Allie Long.

It appeared the game would end that way but Casey Nogueira's shot at 88:30 was headed to the back of the goal before Brown was able to push the ball over the cross bar and out of harm's way. On the ensuing corner kick, senior forward Mandy Moraca sent a perfect serve into the box where sophomore forward Katie Klimczak headed the ball inside the right post for her first career goal as a Tar Heel.

UNC will be off a week before traveling to College Station, Texas next weekend for tournament play at Texas A&M's Aggie Soccer Stadium. On Friday, UNC will meet the host Aggies at 6 p.m. CDT followed by Indiana versus Tennessee at 8:30 p.m. On Sunday, UNC meets Tennessee at 11 a.m. CDT followed by Indiana versus Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m.