University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Tar Heels Stage Furious Rally To Down Irish 3-2
September 21, 2014 | Women's Soccer
NOTRE DAME, IND. - Ninth-ranked North Carolina rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat 18th-ranked Notre Dame 3-2 Saturday night in women's soccer action before a crowd of 2,024 fans at Alumni Stadium.
North Carolina senior midfielder Kat Nigro scored the winning goal for the Tar Heels 27 seconds into the second overtime period, just the second goal of her career and the first since she scored against Illinois in November of her sophomore year. She finished an opportunity from 15 yards out into the lower left corner of the frame off a long cross from Cameron Castleberry from the far right corner. Joanna Boyles also assisted on the goal. Castleberry's cross was well placed as both Emily Bruder and a Notre Dame defender went for the ball but it skidded through to Nigro whose one-timer was spot on.
Carolina has now played to overtime in four of their first seven games of the season against a quartet of Top 20 teams. UNC's early season schedule has featured a sextet of games against teams ranked in the NSCAA Top 20.
The Tar Heels came back from a two-goal deficit to win for the first time since September 1, 2006 when UNC trailed Connecticut 2-0 at halftime but rallied to win 3-2 in regulation at New Haven, Conn. This is the fourth time since 1999 that the Tar Heels have rallied from a two-goal first half deficit to win a game. They also pulled it off against NC State in 2003 and Duke in 1999.
UNC wins its ACC opener to go to 4-2-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. Notre Dame falls to 5-3-1 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. Carolina is now 23-3-1 all-time in ACC openers and this marks the second straight year they've won on the road in an ACC lidlifter after beating Virginia Tech 2-1 a year ago.
Trailing 2-0 at the half, Carolina got back into the game with a goal by Cameron Castleberry, her first of the season and third of her career. Castleberry took a pass from Emily Bruder, dribbled through a hole in the defense and scored past Notre Dame goalkeeper Kaela Little into the right side of the net at 60:43.
UNC drew equal at 75:47 when sophomore midfielder Joanna Boyles scored her second career goal on a direct free kick. She sent a blast from 24 yards out into the upper right corner of the frame, a perfectly placed kick that Little had no chance to save. UNC's Jewel Christian had drawn the foul to set up the free kick, dribbling through defenders and keeping the play alive. Both of Boyles' career goals have come on brilliantly placed free kicks. She also scored as a freshman against West Virginia.
The two teams were kept off the scoreboard in the final minutes of regulation and the first 10-minute extra time period before Carolina capitalized in the second overtime. UNC outshot the Irish 9-3 in the second half and both teams had two shots in overtime.
This marked the first time in 352 games in which Notre Dame has held as much as a two-goal lead that the Fighting Irish have ended up losing. They are now 350-1-1 in matches in their history where they have held a lead of at least two goals.
UNC finished with an 18-10 advantage in shots and both teams took four corner kicks. Kaela Little made five saves for Notre Dame and Bryane Heaberlin had two saves for UNC including one on a shot by Cari Roccaro in the fifth minute of the first overtime.
UNC had fresh legs on the field to start the second overtime and it paid off as the Tar Heels built up the scoring opportunity from the defensive third after Notre Dame's initial kick off the restart sailed out of bounds.
Despite the Tar Heels outshooting the Fighting Irish 7-5 in the first half, the Irish had the better scoring opportunities and cashed in two chances for a 2-0 halftime advantage.
The Tar Heels had an excellent chance at the 4:43 mark when Summer Green found Megan Buckingham open at the 12-yard line with a cross from the right side but Kaela Little knocked down Buckingham's shot from close range. Just 42 seconds later, the Irish came close to scoring the opening goal as Morgan Andrews had a header from four yards out that Bryane Heaberlin kept out of the goal at the last second.
The game turned in Notre Dame's direction in the 30th minute when Notre Dame's Cari Rocarro sent a cross from the right corner flag that resulted in a hand ball by the Tar Heels in the penalty area. Andrews stepped up to the spot and scored on the penalty kick for her fourth goal of the season.
The Fighting Irish made it 2-0 at the 39:59 mark as Taylor Klawunder scored her second goal of the season, finishing off a passing sequence in the six-yard box into the left side of the goal. Lauren Bohaboy served the ball for the Fighting Irish into the penalty area from the left side and Andrews redirected the ball to Klawunder for an easy finish.
In the second half, Little made nice saves of shots by Boyles and Summer Green in the 53rd and 54th minutes that kept the lead at 2-0. After surrendering Castleberry's goal in the 61st minute, she had to tip a shot over the bar by Darcy McFarlane just 27 seconds later to keep the game tied.
The two-goal first-half deficit for the Tar Heels was the first multiple goal deficit that Carolina had faced since September 1, 2006. UNC trailed Connecticut 2-0 at the half in that game played in New Haven, Conn., before the Tar Heels rallied to win 3-2. It was the first time UNC trailed by two goals in any game since October 20, 2013 when the Tar Heels lost to Virginia 2-0 at Fetzer Field.
Carolina returns to action when it plays at #17 Clemson next Thursday at 7 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C. The match will be nationally televised on ESPN3.
North Carolina is now 15-6-2 all-time against Notre Dame, including a 4-0-1 record against the Fighting Irish in South Bend.
