University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Texas A&M (Houston College Challenge)
Freshmen Lead UNC Women's Soccer Team Past #8 Texas A&M
September 13, 2002 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 13, 2002
SPRING, TEXAS - Top-ranked North Carolina got three goals from three different members of its outstanding freshmen class and went on to beat Texas A&M 4-1 in women's soccer action at the Houston College Challenge. The game was played before 2,407 fans at Meyer Park.
UNC, which is ranked #1 in all four major polls, received the benefit of the first career goals from freshmen midfielders Lori Chalupny and Kacey White as well as freshman forward Lindsay Tarpley's fourth goal of the season to power to the win. Junior striker Alyssa Ramsey, Carolina's leading scorer, tallied her fifth goal of the season Friday.
The Aggies (#8 NSCAA, #10 Soccer America, #10 Soccer Buzz, #13 Soccer Times) dropped to 2-3 on the season with the loss. A&M has lost three straight games to teams ranked in the Top 10 in the country, 1-0 to both Stanford and California and 4-1 to Carolina. The Aggies had never lost three games in a row in the program's history prior to Friday.
After tying Nebraska in its season opener, UNC has now won four in a row and is 4-0-1 on the season.
Carolina opened the scoring in the 21st minute of play on Chaulpny's first career goal. White sent a cross into the penalty area where Chalupny scored on a diving header from six yards out.
Just two minutes after Chalupny's goal, the Tar Heels had another great chance when junior midfielder Maggie Tomecka's header from point blank range caromed off the cross bar before before cleared by the A&M defense.
The Aggies had their own golden chance with 15 minutes to play in the first half when UNC goalkeeper was forced to come 30 yards off her line to play a ball. But the Aggies' Laura Probst got to the ball first and her left-to-right bending shot was headed into an open goal before Carolina senior defender Leslie Gaston diving header across the goal mouth kept the ball out of the back of the net.
UNC led at halftime 1-0 after outshooting the Aggies 7-5.
The Tar Heels exploded early in the second half to seal the win. In the 48th minute Tarpley played a ball into the box where White collected the ball, spun and shot the ball past Texas A&M keeper Kati Jo Spisak. In the 57th minute the lead was 3-0 after Ramsey was taken down in the Aggies' penalty area. Ramsey then converted the penalty kick to run her season point total to 13.
Carolina's final goal came in the 59th minute by Tarpley. The play started with senior striker Susan Bush flicking the ball ahead to sophomore midfielder Sara Randolph who ran end line before crossing the ball to Tarpley who dummied the ball into the net with a back heel flick.
A&M averted the shutout in the 75th minute on the 25th career goal by Heather Ragsdale, her first of the 2002 season. Ragsdale received the ball on the left side from Andrea Starns and was one-on-one with Winget for the putaway.
UNC now has an all-time record of 6-0 against the Aggies. The Tar Heels will play Texas on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT in the Houston College Challenge at Meyer Park. The Longhorns are 3-1, having lost only to Stanford. The Longhorns are ranked #3 by Soccer America, #4 by the NSCAA coaches and #6 by both Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times. UNC is 3-0 all-time against the Horns.
A&M travels to Fort Worth on Sunday to play TCU at 1 p.m. CDT at Garvey-Rosenfels Stadium.
