University of North Carolina Athletics
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San Diego State
Carolina Downs San Diego State To Remain Unbeaten
September 12, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 12, 2010
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Top-ranked North Carolina used an early goal by Kealia Ohai to defeat defending Mountain West Conference San Diego State 1-0 Sunday afternoon in women's soccer action at the SDSU Sports Desk before a crowd of 717. The Tar Heels went 2-0 on their California swing and improve to 6-0-1 on the season.
The Tar Heels, who won at Cal Poly Friday night 1-0, got the only goal they needed at 9:21 of the match when Kealia Ohai tallied her fifth goal of the season off assists by Alyssa Rich and Crystal Dunn. Dunn, a freshman defender earned her first career point on the assist.
Dunn won a ball in the midfield on the right side of the pitch and fed a pass down the right side to the onrushing Rich. Rich took a couple of dribbles and sent a perfect cross all the way across the frame of the goal to the far post where Ohai tapped it in from the four-yard line past San Diego State goalkeeper Aubree Southwick.
It proved to be a game dominated by both defenses as neither team generated a lot of good opportunities to score. Playing the second road game in three days, UNC coach Anson Dorrance made liberal use of his bench as 19 players played, including 17 who saw at least 22 minutes of action.
Rich had the first shot of the game for the Tar Heels as she sent a rocket from the right side of the box toward the far post but it went high at the 2:14 mark. The goal combination came just over seven minutes later and was generated off an initial corner kick by Rich from the right side which was cleared out by the defense before Dunn jump started the combination that led to the goal.
Amber Brooks struck a long shot in the 24th minute that required Southwick to make the first of her two saves. SDSU generated two shots later in the half but both went wide right, one by Marisa Fraticelli at 28:21 and one by Sarah Halverson at 38:23.
San Diego State's best chance to score came at 53:48 when Michaela DeJesus was one-on-one with UNC goalkeeper Anna Sieloff. DeJesus's shot was smothered by Sieloff and the Tar Heels retained their one-goal lead. Courtney Jones had a dangerous chance in the 61st minute blocked by the defense and both teams were only able to generate one more shot on goal after that. At 77:16 Rachel Wood had a long strike saved by Southwick. SDSU's final shot came with 15 seconds remaining but Haley Palmer's effort was saved by Sieloff who improved her goalie record to 5-0-1 on the season. Sieloff played the second 45 minutes and made two saves.
San Diego State proved to be the tough defensive team the Tar Heels expected. SDSU, now 2-4-2, lost 1-0 decisions earlier this season to two other Top 10-ranked teams, Santa Clara and Florida. SDSU limited the Tar Heels to only three shots on goal and seven shots overall, the fewest by UNC since a 1-0 victory over Wake Forest on October 14, 2007 when the Tar Heels had 10 shots.
UNC will make the long trip back to the East Coast late Sunday night and the UNC coaches and players who were members of the 2009 team will travel to the White House Monday afternoon where they will be honored by President Barack Obama. The 2009 NCAA champion field hockey team for the Tar Heels will also be a part of the ceremony at the Rose Garden Monday afternoon as well.
Carolina returns to the pitch next weekend when it plays in the Duke Nike Classic in Durham, N.C. UNC will play Middle Tennessee Friday at 3 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium and they meet Florida next Sunday at 12 noon, also in Durham.
