University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Ohio State
Nogueira's Hat Trick Gets Heels Back on the Winning Track
September 21, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 21, 2007
DURHAM, N.C. - The eighth-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team turned in its best offensive performance of the young season by finding the net five times in their 5-0 defeat of Ohio State in the first game of the Duke/adidas Classic. Sophomore Casey Nogueira knocked in three of the five Carolina goals to cop her first career hat trick. Sophomores Whitney Engen and Caroline Boneparth also tallied second-half goals to fuel the Tar Heel attack. Sophomore keeper Ashlyn Harris spearheaded the Carolina defense with a career-best 5 saves.
The Buckeyes dictated the pace of play in the game's first 15 minutes putting four shots on goal, all of which were stonewalled by Harris. Shortly after Harris ended Ohio State's fourth consecutive attack, the Tar Heels offense awakened and took back control of the game, outshooting the Buckeyes 26-6 from that point forward.
In the 16th minute Carolina got on the board when Nogueira outran the Buckeye defense to a Meghan Klingenberg throughball. After corralling the pass, Nogueira dribbled into the box and drilled a shot past Ohio State keeper Lauren Robertson into the lower right corner of the net.
Nogueira notched her second goal of the day and fourth of the season just three minutes into the second half when she headed home a cross from sophomore Tobin Heath. Nogueira got the play started when she fed Heath just across midfield. Heath carried it down the left sideline before feeding it into the box where Nogueira headed it just between Robertson and the near post to put the Heels up 2-0.
The Raleigh native was in on the third goal as well sending a corner kick into the box in the 76th minute. Ohio State was unable to clear the ball which found itself at Engen's feet near the top of the box. She then sent a low line drive through the tangle of feet and bodies in the box and into the back of the net.
Just four minutes later Nogueira struck again. After settling a throw-in from sophomore Tobin Heath, Nogueira turned and fired a rocket from almost 30 yards out. The line drive cleared Robertson's outstretched arms and dipped in just under the crossbar. The hat trick was first by a Carolina player this season and first since junior Yael Averbuch knocked in three against UNC Asheville in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament.
The four goal lead allowed head coach Anson Dorrance to clear his bench as 26 different players made an appearance in the game. One player, in particular, who took advantage of the extra playing time was sophomore Caroline Boneparth. The Lawrence, N.Y. native collected her first career goal with just four seconds left in the game. Sophomore Ashley Moore got the play started by sending a long pass across the field to the feet of senior Julie Yates. Yates centered the ball back into the box where Boneparth finished it into the lower left corner of the net.
The big lead also allowed the Heels to debut their two freshman goalkeepers. Both Amanda Tucker and Monica Welsh-Loveman saw action in the game with Tucker recording her first career save. Also seeing her first extended action along the backline was freshman Meghan Klingenberg. Klingenberg entered the game in the 14th minute and played the remaining 77 minutes to help solidify the Carolina defense.
The Tar Heels return to the pitch on Sunday as they take on San Francisco in the third game of the Duke/adidas classic at 12:00 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. The game will be the fifth career meeting between the Dons and the Heels with Carolina holding a 4-0 advantage in the series.
