Otto’s Goal In 86th Minute The Difference As Tar Heels Edge Fighting Irish

Thursday, October 4

South Bend, Ind.

7 p.m.

North Carolina

10-2-1, 5-0

Notre Dame

6-7, 2-3

North Carolina

Notre Dame

UNC celebrates opening goal of game (Photo by Miller Photography)

Otto’s Goal In 86th Minute The Difference As Tar Heels Edge Fighting Irish

October 4, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Watch Highlights UNC vs. Notre Dame Box Score (pdf)UNC vs. Notre Dame Play by Play (pdf)

North Carolina improves to 5-0 in ACC with win.

By: Dave Lohse

NOTRE DAME, IND. – Taylor Otto scored on a rebound at the 85:39 mark of the match to lift third-ranked North Carolina to a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame in ACC women's soccer action at Alumni Stadium Thursday night.

With the win, the Tar Heels remain the only unbeaten and untied team in ACC play, improving to 10-2-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference with their fifth straight win. Notre Dame is now 6-7 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. Carolina now leads the all-time series between the two teams 18-7-3.

Since the Fighting Irish joined the league in 2013, Notre Dame had scored first in each of the previous regular-season meetings between the two teams. But Carolina ended that streak by scoring 22 seconds into the match as Alessia Russo scored her fourth goal of the season off a perfect cross from the deep left corner by Emily Fox. Rachel Jones also assisted on the goal.

After a foul on Notre Dame in the ninth minute, Brianna Pinto served a brilliant ball into the penalty area that Morgan Goff almost headed inside the right post only to see Brooke Littman make a fingertip save. It was one of two saves on the night for Littman. The other save for the Notre Dame keeper came in the 32^nd minute on another header by Goff off a corner kick.

After the Tar Heels took four of the first six shots of the game, Notre Dame started finding its stride and eventually produced an equalizer at 10:30 on Karin Muya's third goal of the season, assisted by Sabrina Flores and Alexis MartelLamothe. A header by MartelLamothe found Flores who slipped the ball through to Muya who finished past UNC starting goalkeeper Claudia Dickey into the left side of the goal frame.

Notre Dame outshot the Tar Heels 7-6 in the first half and Dickey made four saves in the 45-minute period, matching her career high for saves in a game set earlier this season against Texas.

The second half was titled more in the direction of North Carolina as UNC outshot the Fighting Irish 9-3 after halftime. But of the 12 shots in the second half, only two were on frame between the two squads. In the 67^th minute, Notre Dame almost scored on a header off a corner kick but the scoring effort by MartelLamothe was punched out of harm's way by UNC senior goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak, who came on in the second half and played at a high level for the Tar Heels, helping the UNC defense limit Notre Dame to only three shots after halftime.

Despite peppering the Notre Dame goal with shots in the second half, Carolina was not able to get a shot on goal until the 86^th minute and it proved to be the game-winning tally. Alessia Russo's shot at the top of the box was blocked by Notre Dame's Rachel Heard. But Taylor Otto made a tremendous run to take the rebound in stride, beating the Notre Dame defender to the ball and finishing from 10 yards out at 85:39 past Littman.

Carolina successfully killed off the final four minutes of the game to emerge victorious before a crowd of 733 fans.

Carolina leads the ACC with a 5-0-0 record midway through the conference portion of the 2018 slate. Boston College is currently in second place with a record of 4-1-0.

Carolina will continue its road trip on Sunday when the Tar Heels meet the Syracuse Orange at 1 p.m. at the SU Soccer Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on ACC Network Extra.