UNC Clinches 22nd ACC Regular Season Championship With Win Over Miami

Sunday, October 21

Cary, N.C. (WakeMed Soccer Park)

1 p.m.

North Carolina

14-2-1,ACC 9-0-0

Miami

5-9-3,ACC 2-6-1

Miami

North Carolina

Sydney Spruill's first goal of the year provided insurance in the second half against Miami.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

UNC Clinches 22nd ACC Regular Season Championship With Win Over Miami

October 21, 2018 | Women's Soccer

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Redei & Spruill notch goals in win over Hurricanes

By: Dave Lohse

CARY, N.C. – Goals by reserve strikers Zoe Redei and Sydney Spruill lifted the third-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Miami Sunday afternoon before an overflow crowd of 932 fans at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The victory was the ninth in a row for head coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels who improved to 14-2-1 on the season overall and a perfect 9-0 in ACC play. The Hurricanes fell to 5-9-3 overall and 2-6-1 in ACC play.

The win by Carolina clinches the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship for the Tar Heels with one game left to play in the campaign. UNC has notched 22 ACC regular season crowns since league play began in 1987. Twenty-one of those titles have been outright championships, the last of which came in 2010 when Carolina finished 8-2 in the league. UNC shared the regular-season crown in 2014 when both UNC and Florida State finished 9-0-1 in conference play, including a 1-1 tie between the two teams at Fetzer Field.

UNC dominated every aspect of Sunday's match against the Hurricanes. UNC outshot the Canes 36-2 overall and 19-0 in shots on goal. Carolina also had nine corner kicks to one for Miami.

Carolina outshot the Canes 13-0 in the first half with seven of the Tar Heel shots being saved by Miami goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. UNC almost took the lead in the 16^th minute of play as Alessia Russo got behind the Miami defense only to see her scoring effort clang off the right post. UNC continued to press the entire half and finally broke through on the 11^th shot of the first half. UNC striker reserves Alex Kimball played a give-and-go deep in Miami's end of the field before Redei scored at the 40:20 mark for her fourth goal of the season. Redei sent a shot from the right side of the box that sailed over Tullis-Joyce, hit the left post and bounded into the back of the net for a 1-0 Tar Heel lead.

UNC went on to outshoot the Hurricanes 23-2 in the second half, averaging a shot every two minutes. The Tar Heels got separation at the 58:15 mark on Sydney Spruill's first goal of the season and the second of her career. Bridgette Andrzejewski eluded a pair of Miami defenders on the right side of the box and then sent a nifty cross through the box to Spruill who powered a shot from 12 yards out into the upper left side of the goal, making it 2-0 Tar Heels.

Claudia Dickey and Samantha Leshnak each played 45 minutes in goal for Carolina, combining on a solo shutout and not being required to make a save. Dickey's goalkeeper record improved to 6-2-1 in the process. Phallon Tullis-Joyce made 17 saves for Miami which is a new school record for the Hurricanes. The previous record was 14 saves made by Vikki Alonzo, also against UNC, on November 2, 2008.

Next up for the Tar Heels will be a match against Wake Forest at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. The game will be nationally televised on ACC Network Extra. It will be Senior Night for the Tar Heels with 11 players currently in their fourth or fifth years in the program being honored in pre-match ceremonies.

UNC has also now clinched home field advantage for the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels will face the tournament's #8 seed next Sunday at 1 p.m. at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in a match to be televised nationally on ACC Network Extra.