Tar Heels Suffer First Loss Of Season At #12 Santa Clara

Friday, September 7

Santa Clara, Calif.

10:30 p.m.

North Carolina

5-1-1

Santa Clara

5-1

North Carolina

Santa Clara

September 8, 2018 | Women's Soccer

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Late Tar Heel equalizer negated by offside call

By: Dave Lohse

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. – Despite outshooting 12^th-ranked Santa Clara 18-7 Friday night, the second-ranked North Carolina women's soccer team endured its first loss of the season 1-0 before 1,611 fans at Stevens Stadium.

UNC fell to 5-1-1 with the loss while Santa Clara improved to 5-1. UNC dominated the game statistically in the shot column, including 8-3 in shots on goal but Melissa Lowder made eight saves for Santa Clara which rebounded from a 4-0 loss at Texas A&M last Sunday.

Alessia Russo had seven of UNC's 18 shots, including six that were saved by Lowder, who played all 90 minutes for the Broncos. Samantha Leshnak played the first half in goal for UNC, making one save. Claudia Dickey played the second half and allowed her first goal of the season on a breakaway. Santa Clara led in corner kicks 3-1 while UNC was called for 12 fouls and Santa Clara for 10.

UNC outshot the Broncos 10-3 in the first half but was unable to get on the scoreboard as several excellent chances were not able to be finished. UNC was shutout for the first time since drawing 0-0 with Louisville in the next-to-last game of the 2017 regular season.

Santa Clara got the game-winning goal on a breakaway by Kalie Halvorsen, who intercepted a Tar Heel back pass and got behind the UNC defense to finish past Dickey from 10 yards out. It appeared Halvorsen intended to go far post past Dickey but instead her shot came off her foot and snuck inside the near post for the only goal of the game.

The final two minutes proved to be frantic and chaotic as Russo had a shot saved by Lowder at the one minute mark and the rebound was sent over the crossbar. UNC then appeared to tie the game with 21 seconds remaining when Zoe Redei collected a ball in the box and finished past the Santa Clara goalie. No offside flag went up as the Tar Heels celebrated and the referee indicated the goal was good. But after several minutes of discussion with the referee, the assistant referee called the Tar Heels offside on the play, noting an infraction by a player other than the goal scorer Redei.

UNC will return to the pitch on Sunday when it plays at top-ranked Stanford at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT) at Cagan Stadium. The game will be nationally televised by the Pac 12 Network.