University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Second Half Heroics By Newfield & Boyles Lift UNC
October 23, 2015 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Alexa Newfield and Joanna Boyles combined to make the key plays in the second half as ninth-ranked North Carolina rallied past 15th-ranked Notre Dame 2-1 in women's soccer action Thursday night at Fetzer Field.
The comeback win halted the Tar Heels' losing streak at three games and kept them firmly in the picture for a bid to the ACC Tournament. Only the top four teams in the regular season qualify for the conference tournament in Cary November 6 and 8. UNC is now 12-3-1 on the season and 5-3 in the ACC. Notre Dame fell to 11-4-1 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.
Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the second half as the Fighting Irish capitalized on a Tar Heel turnover at the edge of the penalty area to score at the 46:37 mark. Sandra Yu stripped Carolina's Julia Ashley of the ball on the left side of the 18-yard box and sent a perfect cross between UNC goalkeeper Lindsey Harris and Tar Heel defender Hanna Gardner. The ball found Sabrina Flores in stride and she struck the ball into the left side from 10 yards out for her second goal of the year.
Carolina, which had suffered back-to-back shutouts against Florida State and Duke, then found its scoring touch courtesy of Newfield and Boyles in a span of less than four minutes to take the lead. In both cases, Notre Dame fouls set up the scoring chances for Carolina. Seeking a spark, UNC head coach Anson Dorrance made five substitutions in the 60th minute and that seemed to energize the Tar Heels.
In the 71st minute, UNC midfielder Joanna Boyles kept a ball alive just outside the top of the penalty area. She sent a through ball to Newfield who was taken down in the box about eight yards from goal. Newfield had played only 10 minutes in the first half before being subbed out but she was one of the five Tar Heels who entered the game at the 60:29 mark.
Newfield stepped to the 12-yard spot and sent her penalty kick into the left side of the goal for her eighth tally of the season. Notre Dame goalkeeper Kaela Little guessed correctly on the play and appeared to get a piece of Newfield's shot but the ball found the back of the net nevertheless. The Newfield goal ended a streak of 315 scoreless minutes for the Tar Heels dating back to a goal by Alex Kimball in the 35th minute of a 2-1 loss at Louisville on October 8.
With a goal in the back of the net, the Tar Heels seized the momentum and scored again less than four minutes later. After a Notre Dame foul 25 yards from goal on the left side of the pitch, Newfield sent a free kick into the box and Boyles found the service with her head and finished into the right side of the goal for the game-winner. It was Boyles' fourth goal of the season and came at the 73:53 mark.
The Tar Heel defense clamped down and allowed only one shot by Notre Dame in the final 16 minutes of play to salt away the victory.
UNC outshot the Fighting Irish 17-10 but the Irish had a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Bryane Heaberlin made two first-half saves for Carolina and Lindsey Harris came up with three second half saves after conceding the goal early in the second half. Little had two saves in goal for Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish also had a defender save a sure goal by Abby Elinsky off the goal line in the first half. North Carolina finished with an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
The win by North Carolina and Clemson's 4-1 drubbing of NC State Thursday sets up a key showdown between the two teams Sunday at Fetzer Field at 1 p.m. The sixth-ranked Tigers are 12-2-1 overall and 6-2 in the ACC and currently hold a one-game lead over the Tar Heels in the conference standings with two matches to play.
