Early Tallies Lift Tar Heels To 4-1 Road Win At BC

Saturday, October 14

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

7:00 p.m.

North Carolina

Boston College

Jessie Scarpa returned to the UNC lineup for the first time since August 27 and scored a first half goal.

October 14, 2017 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Watch Highlights on YouTube UNC-BC Box Score (pdf)

Andrzejewski scored pair of goals in win over Eagles.

By: Dave Lohse

NEWTON, MASS. – Bridgette Andrzejewski had a brace and Alessia Russo and Jessie Scarpa also scored goals as the University of North Carolina women's soccer team, ranked #5 nationally, defeated Boston College 4-1 Saturday night before 951 fans at the Newton Lacrosse and Soccer Complex.

The win was the seventh in a row for North Carolina, which improved to 11-2 overall on the season and 7-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Boston College, which lost at home for only the second time this season, is now 9-6-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels took over first place in the ACC with 21 points prior to Duke's match Sunday against Miami at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils currently have 18 points in the standings.

The Tar Heels jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead over the Eagles with goals by Alessia Russo in the fourth minute and Bridgette Andrzejewski in the ninth minute.

The first Tar Heel goal of the game came at 3:12 of the match. Andrzejewski sent a ball into the box from the right side of the pitch that was headed out by BC defender Allyson Swaby. Joanna Boyles toe poked the ball just outside the top of the box into the path of Russo, who powered a shot from 30 yards out into the upper left corner over the hands of Boston College goalkeeper Alexis Bryant. It was Russo's eighth goal of the season. She has now scored goals in five straight games for the Tar Heels, totaling six goals in that stretch.

UNC doubled its lead in the ninth minute as Andrzejewski scored the first of her two goals in the match. Boyles launched a corner kick from the right side that found Julia Ashley at the left post. Ashley headed the ball back across the frame to Abby Elinsky who nodded the ball on to Andrzejewski who was unmarked at the right post just two yards out. Andrzejewski headed the ball into the back of the net for what would prove to be the game-winning goal and her third score of the campaign.

With a 2-0 lead, Carolina substituted at the 15-minute mark of the first half with Jessie Scarpa coming in at forward and Lotte Wuben-Moy checking in on the back line. Scarpa had been out of the lineup since hurting a knee 10 minutes into a match at South Florida on August 27. Wubben-Moy had not seen action since being hurt in the first half of a 2-0 win over UNCW on September 3.

Scarpa made the most of her return to the pitch as she scored a goal from distance at the 41:46 mark of the game. Off a Tar Heel corner kick, the BC defense made the initial clearance before Scarpa pounced on the ball 22 yards out on the left side. Scapa's arcing shot evaded Bryant, clipped the underside of the cross bar and bounded into the back netting. The goal was Scarpa's second of the season.

UNC added to its lead at the 77:15 mark as Andrzejewski scored her second goal of the game and her fourth of the season. Dorian Bailey sent a cross from near the end line close to the left corner marker. The ball slid across the end line, traveling through several bodies in the process before it found Andrzejewski on the right post for a finish into an empty net.

Boston College got on the board at 83:07 as Carly Leipzig scored her fourth goal of the season. UNC goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak came off her line to snuff out a scoring opportunity for the Eagles, punching the ball out with both hands right at the top of the box. The ball went directly to Leipzig, however, who scored from 25 yards out into the empty net.

The goal was the first allowed by the Tar Heels in the second half this season and only the second goal by Carolina in an ACC game. UNC had not surrendered a goal in the past 432 minutes and three seconds since the Tar Heels had surrendered in the 12^th minute of a 2-1 victory over Virginia on September 27.

The Tar Heels outshot the Eagles 14-11, including a 7-3 edge in shots on frame. Both teams took five corner kicks in the game. Alexis Bryant finished with three saves for Boston College while Samantha Leshnak had two saves for North Carolina.

While Scarpa and Wubben-Moy returned to the Tar Heel lineup for the first time in several weeks, the Tar Heels were playing with the services of redshirt senior defender Maya Worth, the starting left back. Worth tore an Achilles' Heel last Tuesday in practice and had surgery on Wednesday. She is out for the remainder of the year.

Sophomore Morgan Goff started in Worth's place at left back and played 75 minutes on Saturday night.

UNC improved to 17-1 all-time against Boston College, including a 9-0 mark in games played in Newton. The Tar Heels have two games on the docket in the coming week, both to be webcast nationally on ACC Network Extra. The Tar Heels play at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. on Thursday at 7 p.m. before hosting Louisville on Sunday, October 22 at 10 a.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park's Koka Booth Stadium.