University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Tar Heels Use Big First Half to Down Hokies, 4-1
October 21, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2007
BLACKSBURG, VA. - In their last five Sunday games combined, the ninth-ranked North Carolina women's soccer had netted just five total goals. Sunday at Virginia Tech the offense returned to form scoring the first four goals of the match to help Carolina cruise to a 4-1 victory over the Hokies. The Heels spread the ball around and kept the Hokies on the move as seven different players notched either a goal or an assist. Carolina dictated play in the first half outshooting the Hokies 12-1 while sophomore Nikki Washington, freshman Meghan Klingenberg and sophomore Tobin Heath all recorded goals. Sophomore Casey Noguiera capped off the Carolina scoring with her team-leading ninth of the season in the second half.
The Heels first goal came in the 17th minute of play when Washington netted her second goal of the year into the lower left corner of the net. Senior defender Ariel Harris won the ball at midfield and sent an arching pass toward the Carolina forwards. Sophomore Whitney Engen was able to get her head on the ball and pop it forward where Washington was able outrun the Virginia Tech defense to the free ball.
Carolina struck again in the 37th minute when senior Jaime Gilbert corralled the ball in the left corner. Gilbert crossed the ball into the box to sophomore Sterling Smith on the near post. Smith wheeled to right and put a shot on net that was snuffed out by Hokie goalkeeper Ashley Owens. However, Owens wasn't able to control the rebound and, always in the right place at the right time, Klingenberg was there to knock the ball into the open net. The goal was Klingenberg's fourth of the year and second in as many games.
The third Carolina goal again began just across midfield where junior Allie Long won the ball and fed it ahead to Gilbert. Gilbert tapped it forward to junior Yael Averbuch who sent a long cross to Heath at the top corner of the box. From there, Heath did all the work herself. The midfielder from Basking Ridge, N.J., dribbled past two Virginia Tech defenders and sent a nearly unreachable shot into the upper right corner to give the Tar Heels a 3-0 halftime lead.
The Heels also netted the first goal of the second half when a scrum in the box led to Nogueira's ninth goal of the season. Heath cradled the ball on the left sideline and knocked it into the box. Long received the pass and used her heel to tap it behind her into some open space in the box. Washington and her defender collided as they reached the ball and sputtered away right to the foot of Nogueira. Nogueira then one-timed a rocket into the upper right corner to put the Heels up 4-0.
As they second half moved along, the Hokies turned up the pace on the offensive end matching Carolina shot for shot in the second half at eight apiece. Virginia Tech got their first tally on the board in the 73rd when speedy forward Marika Gray ran down a Jennifer Harvey pass and copped her eighth goal of the year with a shot past freshman keeper Amanda Tucker. Tucker, making her second appearance of the season, faced two Hokie shots on goal, saving one with an excellent diving stop on Mauri Liberati's shot in the 67th minute.
Carolina returns to the pitch on Thursday, October 25th with a game against rival North Carolina St. at Fetzer Field. The Wolfpack are 5-7-3 overall and 0-6-1 in the ACC. The Heels lead the overall series at 36-1-2.
