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North Carolina State
No. 2 Tar Heels Shut Out Wolfpack, 5-0
October 9, 2009 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 9, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina women's soccer team scored three goals in the first 9:47 of play and rolled on to a 5-0 win over visiting NC State Friday evening at Fetzer Field. UNC improved to 11-1-1 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Wolfpack fell to 7-5-1 (2-3 ACC). Freshman Renee Premji led the way for the Tar Heels as she assisted on four tallies with five different players notching goals on the night.
Sophomore Courtney Jones scored her fourth goal of the season just 4:21 into the match, sending a shot to the right of NC State keeper Kim Kern on a breakaway. The game-winner was the team-high third of the season for the forward from Danville, Calif. Ranee Premji, a freshman earning her first career start replacing the injured Tobin Heath, split the defense with a forwarding pass that freed Jones for the breakaway. Maria Lubrano also assisted on the play, winning a header in the midfield and nodding it on to Premji, whose forwarding pass found the foot of Jones for the breakaway.
Junior Meghan Klingenberg made it 2-0 just over three minutes later when she took a flick from freshman Ranee Premji and shot it into the left side of the net for her second goal of the year. Jessica McDonald sent a long throw from the left side deep into the penalty area where Ali Hawkins nodded the ball on the Premji to set up the goal-scoring sequence. Hawkins also received credit for an assist on the goal.
At the 9:47 mark, junior Ali Hawkins sent the ball in on a corner kick, hustled into the action and then collected the rebound of her own initial shot and sent it past Kern on the right side of the goal. The goal was Hawkins' fourth of the season.
"For us to be up 3-0 going into the half made me feel comfortable, because obviously you then have the chance to play your roster," said UNC coach Anson Dorrance. "These kids work hard for our starters and finally got the chance to play a bit." A total of 26 Carolina players saw action against NC State.
After leading 3-0 at the break, the Tar Heels added two more goals within a span of just over four minutes. In the 60th minute of play, junior Jessica McDonald drew Kern out in a one-on-one situation then sent a grounder just inside the right post for her team-best sixth goal of the year. Premji, a midfielder from Calgary, Alberta, picked up her third assist of the game and of the season. "She's very, very good in possession, very good with her final passing and just a sophisticated player in the simplest of ways," Dorrance said of Premji. "I just really liked watching her play tonight. It wasn't just what she did on the ball - she works hard for us defensively. That kid, with tonight's performance, has won even more time."
The final goal came at the 63:47 mark, when freshman Alyssa Rich headed in a cross from sophomore Brittani Bartok. The score was the fourth of the year for Rich, a forward from Cincinnati. Premji fed Bartok on the play to set up the goal.
The Canadian native Premji earned four assists in the game, a total just one shy of the school record of five recorded by Kacey White against Pepperdine in the third round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament at Fetzer Field. Premji's four assists equal the second most in a game in NCAA history as White holds the NCAA mark with her five assists in that November 2005 contest.
Carolina outshot NC State 22-1 for the game, with 14 of those coming in the first half. UNC led 7-0 in corner kicks.
Senior Ashlyn Harris started the game in goal for UNC, making a save on NC State's only shot. Kern, the Wolfpack starter, had five saves. UNC's Hannah Daly and Monica Welsh-Loveman split time in the second half for the Heels.
Next up for Carolina s a home match against Virginia on Oct. 17. Game time is 1 p.m.
