Oct. 9, 2008

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Freshman forward Brittani Bartok's goal on a header in the 83rd minute proved to be the difference Thursday night as the No. 2 North Carolina women's soccer team rallied past No. 14 Boston College 3-2 before a crowd of 1,007 at Fetzer Field. Bartok also had an assist on the game-tying goal and sophomore midfielder Meghan Klingenberg assisted on both the game-tying and game-winning tallies.

The Tar Heels improved to 12-1-1 on the season with their eighth win a row and Carolina remains unbeaten in the ACC at 5-0 and in sole possession of first place for the initial time in 2008. Boston College has now lost its last two and is 8-3-2 overall and 2-2-1 in the ACC. The two goals by the Eagles were the most the Tar Heels have allowed at Fetzer Field since a 3-2 Carolina loss to Notre Dame on November 24, 2007.

Carolina dominated the first half statistically, outshooting the Eagles 7-1 and recording five corner kicks to none for BC. But Jillian Mastroianni made three first-half saves to keep the Tar Heels off the scoreboard. Included in that total was a fingertip save on a laser shot by the ACC's leading scorer, UNC junior forward Casey Nogueira, at 30:36 that the BC keeper just pushed over the end line for a corner kick.

After controlling play in the first half, the Tar Heels found themselves down numbers on a quick BC counter attack early in the second half that resulted in a goal by Gina Dimartino, her second of the year, at 50:25 of the game. Dimartino dribbled the ball up the right side of the pitch for 20 yards before launching a looping shot from outside the box that curved into the left side netting.

It took the Tar Heels almost 14 minutes to get the equalizer but they did so in dramatic fashion as Nogueira skied in the box to drive home her 13th goal of the season at 64:16. Senior midfielder Allie Long won the ball in the midfield and fed Klingenberg, who pushed the ball down the right side of the pitch going end line. Klingenberg then served a perfect cross to the head of Nogueira who powered it home from four yards out in the center of the penalty area. It would be the first of three goals scored by the Tar Heels on headers in the second half.

Just a second less than three minutes passed before the Tar Heels took their first lead of the night. A ball was served into the box that Bartok ran on to at the same time as Mastroianni got there. The BC keeper was not able to fully control the ball and it squirted to the end line about six yards to the right of the goal. Bartok retrieved it and then literally scooped the ball up with her right instep and sent an arcing pass over the goalie to the far post where Allie Long ran on to it for the header. It was her third goal of the season and first since the two she scored in the season opener against Charlotte.

The Tar Heels were only able to hold the lead for a little over eight minutes. At 75:29, the Eagles tied the game on Natalie Crutchfield's third goal of the season, off assists by Caitlin Hiler and Hannah Cerrone. Hiler fed a short corner to Cerrone on the right sideline and Cerrone returned the favor of the pass to Hiler. Hiler's long cross from the sideline went to the far post where at least a dozen players were bunched up. Crutchfield got just enough on her shot to direct it past the mass of humanity on the doorstep of the goal and tie the game.

With the prospect of these two teams playing a second successive overtime game against each other, it was the Tar Heels who seized the opportunity for victory in the 83rd minute on a play very similar to Carolina's first goal. This time junior midfielder Nikki Washington fed Klingenberg down the right side and Klingenberg did what she does best, which is feeding the far post. Bartok ran on to the cross and headed the ball into the upper left corner for her fourth goal of the season and her first game-winning goal in a Tar Heel uniform.

The Tar Heels outshot the Eagles 19-6 and finished with a 10-2 edge in corners. Mastroianni finished with eight saves for BC and Anna Rodenbough had the only two saves for UNC, both in the second half.

With five assists in the game, UNC improved their season total to 54. The Tar Heels had only 49 assists in their 24 games last season. UNC now has scored 49 goals, just seven short of their total for all of last season.