Overflow Crowd Watches Tar Heels Blank Duke

Sunday, August 25

Chapel Hill, N.C

6 p.m.

North Carolina

2-0

Duke

1-1

Duke

North Carolina

Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications

August 25, 2019 | Women's Soccer

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Tar Heels improve to 2-0 on the campaign

By: Dave Lohse

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina women's soccer team shut out Duke 2-0 Sunday evening before an overflow crowd of 4,215 fans at the new UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium.

This early-season non-conference match between the two teams concluded the annual Carolina Nike Classic. Carolina came out of the weekend with a 2-0 record while Duke fell to 1-1. In Sunday's earlier game La Salle and North Florida played to a 1-1 tie.

Carolina outshot the Blue Devils 14-2 in the match and freshman Alexis Strickland scored the game-winning goal for the Tar Heels just 13 seconds before halftime. An own goal by the Blue Devils gave the Tar Heels separation in the 76^th minute of play. UNC also had a 13-1 edge in corner kicks in the game.

Carolina began the weekend Thursday with a 3-0 blanking of Indiana in a game in which the Tar Heels outshot the Hoosiers 16-1. In two games combined, the Carolina defense was virtually a solid wall as it allowed only three overall shots in the two games combined and no shots on goal.

Duke goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn was the defensive star for the Blue Devils during the first half, making three remarkable saves. Aleigh Gambone had back-to-back chances inside the six-yard box in the 26^th minute but Heinsohn was able to parry away both shots at the last second. In the 27^th minute, Bridgette Andrzejewski had a brilliant heading opportunity from six yards out off a cross from Emily Fox that Heinsohn remarkably knocked away with her right hand, keeping the match at 0-0.

In the last minute of the first half, UNC subbed on freshman Hallie Klanke with 49 seconds left . It was a fortuitous substitution indeed as Carolina would take the lead with just 13 seconds left before halftime on Alexis Strickland's first career goal off Klanke's first career assist. Junior transfer Lois Joel pushed a pass to the right sideline to Klanke. The Missouri first-year player sent a textbook cross to the head of the freshman Strickland, a Raleigh native, who at just 5-3 skied and deposited her header into the lower right corner of the frame for the eventual game-winner. Stickland headed the ball from the six-yard line into the turf where it bounced three yards out and skidded past the goal line.

Carolina's insurance goal came in the 76^th minute of play. Senior defender Morgan Goff sent a dangerous cross into the box which Duke's Caitlin Cosme redirected past Heinsohn into the upper right corner of the goal for an own goal.

Carolina then systematically shut down the rest of the match, allowing only one more shot in the final minute of play which was blocked away by the Tar Heel defense.

Now 2-0 on the young campaign, Carolina heads West this week for a pair of games in the Husky Invitational hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle. Carolina will play the host Huskies Thursday at 10 p.m. (EDT) in a game to be televised by the Pac 12 Network. The Tar Heels also play Portland next Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT as well.