Tar Heels Rally In Second Half For Dorrance's 999th Win

Thursday, August 16

Chapel Hill, N.C. (Finley South)

5 p.m.

North Carolina

1-0

Illinois

0-1

Illinois

North Carolina

Madison Schultz celebrates her game-winning goal in the 69th minute.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

August 16, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Play-by-Play (PDF)Watch UNC's Goals On You Tube Anson Dorrance Post Game (mp3)Photo Gallery 2018 Game Notes

Bingham, Schultz, Dorwart score in 3-1 win.

By: Dave Lohse

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina women's soccer team rallied with three goals in the second half to defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini Thursday afternoon 3-1 at Finley Field South.

The game was the season opener for both teams and featured a classic coaching matchup between UNC's Anson Dorrance and Illinois' Janet Rayfield. Dorrance is currently in his 42^nd year of coaching service at Carolina and the win over the Illini on Thursday was the 999^th of his distinguished career. Dorrance won 172 games while coaching the UNC men's team from 1977-88 for 12 seasons. He has now won 827 games as the Tar Heel women's head coach with a program he founded in 1979. Rayfield, in her 17^th season at Illinois, was Carolina's first women's soccer scholarship recipient, playing four years as a Tar Heel from 1979-82 and winning a pair of national championships. Even to this day, 36 years after leaving campus, Rayfield ranks second in career goals as a Tar Heel behind only Mia Hamm while standing third in career points.

UNC, ranked sixth by the United Soccer Coaches, fourth by Soccer America and third by Top Drawer Soccer, played a deep lineup Thursday and it eventually paid fruit as Carolina rallied for the win, outscoring the Illini 3-0 in the second half and outshooting Illinois 12-1 after halftime.

Carolina came out of the gate on fire, pressuring the Illinois goal with gusto from the start. Jaelyn Cunningham, who had six saves on the day for Illinois, made a sprawling save on a shot by Alex Kimball at the seven-minute mark. On the ensuing corner kick, freshman Rachael Dorwart hit the cross bar. At 14:38, Tar Heel forward Sydney Spruill hit the cross bar again as UNC took the first seven shots of the game.

It was Illinois that scored first, however, against the run of play at the 18:55 mark. Illinois midfielder Hope Breslin thread a perfect through ball past a pair of Tar Heel defenders and forward Kelly Maday ran on to it to score from the top of the 18-yard box. UNC goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak was able to get a hand on the shot but was unable to keep the ball from reaching the back of the net.

Carolina had an excellent shot at tying the game in the 31^st minute, again off a corner kick by Annie Kingman. Taylor Otto had a shot in the box that was cleared away by the Illini defense, keeping the Tar Heels off the scoreboard in the first half.

The second half would be a different story, however, as a shot by Illinois' Makena Silber 31 seconds into the period would be the last shot attempt of the game for the U of I.

In the 51^st minute, Carolina earned the equalizer as sophomore defender Brooke Bingham scored her first career goal on a header off a corner kick by graduate student Annie Kingman. Dorrance then subbed in five players in the 62^nd minute and just six plus minutes later three of them combined on the game-winning goal.

UNC almost took the lead in the 67^th minute off a Julia Ashley corner kick. Ru Mucherera's header was cleared off the line at the very last instant by a defender and on the redirect Cunningham stopped a shot from close range by UNC's Mary Elliott McCabe.

Just over two minutes later, a trio of Tar Heel substitutes combined on the game-winner. Taylor Otto fed Mary Elliott McCabe who touched the ball on to senior Nicole Crutchield. The ball was sent on to junior Madison Schultz who one-touched a volley into the lower left corner from inside the penalty area. The goal came at 68:41 of the match.

Carolina added an insurance goal at 73:28 of the match. Senior defender Julia Ashley sent a cross from the right sideline that found the head of freshman Rachael Dorwart for a putaway into the lower left side on a single bounce.

Carolina finished with an edge of 21-3 in total shots and 11-1 in shots on goal. The Tar Heels had nine corner kicks to three for Illinois.

The Tar Heels will return to action on Sunday against 23^rd-ranked Ohio State with a 4 p.m. start at Finley Field South. The game will be nationally televised on ACC Network Extra. The Buckeyes are coached by 1992 alumna Lori Walker-Hock, currently in her 22^nd season as the head coach in Columbus. The Buckeyes opened their season with a 2-0 loss at third-ranked Duke on Thursday.