Tar Heels Head To West Coast For Husky Invitational

Thursday, August 29

Seattle, Wash.

10 p.m.

North Carolina

Washington

Brianna Pinto

Photo by: Rebecca Lawson

August 27, 2019 | Women's Soccer

Full Game Notes (PDF)

UNC to meet Washington & Portland

By: Dave Lohse

AFTER OPENING NEW STADIUM LAST WEEKEND TAR HEELS HIT THE ROAD TO PLAY IN HUSKY INVITATIONAL: The University of North Carolina women's soccer team heads to the West Coast this weekend to play a pair of games in the Husky Invitational. Coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels meet the host Washington Huskies on Thursday at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT in the second game of a doubleheader after New Mexico and Portland play in the first game.

The opponents switch on Sunday with UNC meeting Portland at 2:30 p.m. EDT/11:30 a.m. PDT and New Mexico meeting host Washington at 5 p.m. EDT/2 p.m. PDT.

All games will take place at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, Wash. with tickets priced at $10 and $5.

Thursday's UNC versus Washington game will be televised nationally on the Pac 12 Network. The other three games will be webcast live via University of Washington Athletics Live Stream.

The Tar Heels head to Seattle with a record of 2-0 after opening the new UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium on campus this past weekend with a 3-0 win over Indiana on Thursday and a 2-0 victory over eighth-ranked Duke on Sunday. Washington is 0-0-2 this season after tying its first two games against Portland and Seattle. The Portland Pilots are 0-0-1 having tied Washington last Thursday. Thursday's game against New Mexico is its second game of the campaign.

TAR HEELS BLANK DUKE BEFORE OVERFLOW CROWD: The University of North Carolina women's soccer team shut out Duke 2-0 on August 25 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 76th 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 26th minute but Heinsohn was able to parry away both shots at the last second. In the 27th 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 76th 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.

CAROLINA OPENS CAMPAIGN WITH SHUTOUT WIN OVER HOOSIERS: North Carolina opened its luxurious new Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium on the Tar Heel campus with 3-0 win over Indiana on August 22 evening in a rain-delayed Carolina Nike Classic women's soccer opener. A crowd of 1,481 fans weathered the delays to root on the Tar Heels to victory in their season opener, playing in the new on-campus stadium that replaced Fetzer Field, home of the team from 1979-2016.

Senior Bridgette Andrzejewski scored the first-ever Tar Heel goal in the new stadium for the game-winner in the 14th minute and Brianna Pinto, a sophomore whose father played for the men's team at the old Fetzer in the 1990s, had a brace to push the Tar Heels to an eventual 3-0 win.

Carolina outshot the Hoosiers 16-1 in the match and had an 8-1 edge in corner kicks. UNC employed two goalkeepers with freshman Marz Josephson playing the first half and Claudia Dickey the second half. Neither was forced to make a save. Bethany Kopel went all 90 minutes for Indiana and made four saves while allowing all three goals.

The game was the opener of the season for both teams. In the first game of Thursday's Carolina Nike Classic Duke downed La Salle 2-0.

Carolina opened the scoring at 13:03 behind the hustle of Andrzejewski. She earned a corner kick on the left side and Pinto sent the kick into a fray where it was headed on to the right side of the box. Taylor Otto's pass into the middle of the penalty area nutmegged Kopel and Andrzejewski drove the ball into the back of the net from close range to make it 1-0.

The second Carolina goal came at 17:43 with UNC earning a free from 25 yards. Alessia Russo drove the ball towards the right side of the goal but Kopel parried it away. Freshman Aleigh Gambone pounced on the rebound in the right side of the box and centered it to Pinto who drove the ball into the lower right corner from six yards.

Carolina finished the scoring at 80:42 on a great individual effort goal by Pinto. She gathered in the loose ball at the top of the box, took one dribble and left footed a worm burner from 18 yards out into the lower right corner to finish off the scoring.

BELL NAMED ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Carolina defender Maycee Bell has been tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Week on August 27 after the opening weekend of the 2019 season.
n her collegiate debut, Bell was a dominant player on the back line for the North Carolina defense, as the Tar Heels opened their season with a 3-0 win over Indiana followed by a 2-0 shutout of eighth-ranked Duke in a non-conference matchup.

The Wichita, Kan., native led a defensive effort which limited Indiana to just one shot in the game. Carolina's defensive prowess continued against Duke, as UNC limited the Blue Devils to just two shots and one corner kick.
Neither Indiana nor Duke had a shot on goal in either game.

FOX AMONG AMERICAN PLAYERS COMPETING IN NORDIC CUP: North Carolina defender Emily Fox, who made her senior debut for the USA in 2018, is amongst the players called up for the U.S. under-23 women's national team's trip to England for the Nordic Tournament Aug. 28-Sept. 2.

Fox started both games this past weekend as the Tar Heels defeated Indiana 3-0 and Duke 2-0 to open the 2019 season.

Another pair of starters for the Tar Heels - forward Alessia Russo and defender Lotte Wubben-Moy are also competing in the Nordic Tournament for the host English side

TICKETS FOR HOME GAMES: UNC opened its brand spanking new UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium on the weekend of August 22 and 25. The natural grass field and new stadium structure features a seating capacity of 4,090 fans.
Tickets are now on sale at the GoHeels.com Ticket Center for the remainder of the season as well with six home games on the docket, all against conference opponents. On game days, tickets will be on sale at the stadium main gate adjacent to the front entrance of Carmichael Arena. Game day sales will also be available at the Stadium drive pedestrian walkway adjacent to Carmichael Dorm. Season tickets are on sale now at a price of $68 for reserved seats and $34 for general admission seats. Individual game tickets are available both days at $10 for reserved seats and $5 for general admission. Tickets will serve as entry to both games on each day.
TICKETS LINK

PARKING INFORMATION FOR HOME GAMES: UNC Parking & Transportation has created a website to assist Carolina soccer fans to find the easiest and best available parking options for game day parking, always a concern at Carolina. Fans are encouraged to check out these options in advance so they are aware of options, INCLUDING some first-ever pre-pay options at certain lots. Links to the parking information website will be posted on GoHeels.com the weeks of home games. That link will be the best way for fans to access comprehensive information on parking options. Carolina's next home game will be against Wake Forest on August 12 at 7 p.m. at the new Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium on campus.
PARKING INFO LINK

TAR HEELS TABBED TO REPEAT AS ACC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS: The University of North Carolina women's soccer team has been chosen as the preseason favorite to win the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title in a vote of the league's 14 head coaches announced August 8. Coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels received six first place votes and 188 total points in the voting. Florida State, which won last year's ACC Tournament, was picked on eight first place ballots and had 185 points overall. The remainder of the standings have Virginia in third with 163 points, Duke in fourth with 155 points, Clemson in fifth with 121 points, NC State in sixth with 109 points, Wake Forest in seventh with 106 points, Louisville in eighth with 99 points, Notre Dame in ninth with 88 points, Boston College in 10th with 87 points, Virginia Tech in 11th with 85 points, Miami in 12th with 39 points, Pittsburgh in 13th with 29 points and Syracuse in 14th with 16 points. The 11-player preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team includes a trio of Tar Heels – junior defender Emily Fox, junior forward Alessio Russo and sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto. The preseason All-ACC Team also includes Clemson junior forward Mariana Speckmaier, Florida State redshirt junior defender Malia Berkely, Florida State senior forward Deyna Castellanos, Florida State sophomore midfielder Jaelin Howell, Florida State sophomore midfielder Yujie Zhao, Louisville junior midfielder Emina Ekic and Virginia Tech senior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn.

TAR HEELS CHECK IN AT NO. 2 IN UNITED SOCCER COACHES POLL: The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has earned the No. 2 spot in the opening poll of the 2019 season sponsored by United Soccer Coaches (formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America). The poll was released on August 6. The Tar Heels trail only defending NCAA champion Florida State in the preseason poll ranking 25 teams. Two other ACC teams are ranked in the Top 10 with Duke at #8 and Virginia at #9. Three other ACC teams are ranked between 20th and 25th in the poll.
United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Preseason Poll
August 6, 2019
Rank, School, 1st Place Votes, Total Points, W-L-T
1. Florida State, 33, 870, 1, 20-4-3
2. North Carolina, 0, 821, 2, 21-4-2
3. Stanford, 1, 808, 2, 21-1-2
4. UCLA, 0, 748, 5, 17-3-2
5. Southern California, 0, 700, 6-17-2-3
6. Penn State, 1, 678, 8, 18-9-1
7. Georgetown, 0, 676, 4, 21-1-3
8. Duke, 0, 619, 10, 16-4-2
9. Virginia, 0, 571, 11, 16-5-1
10. Tennessee, 0, 501, 7, 16-3-3
11. West Virginia, 0, 482, 14, 15-4-4
12. Texas A&M, 0, 477, 13, 17-5-1
13. Santa Clara, 0, 447, 12, 17-3-2
14. Baylor, 0, 417, 9, 20-6-0
15. South Carolina, 0, 383, 17, 14-6-1
16. Wisconsin, 0, 283, 15, 14-4-4
17. Vanderbilt, 0, 274, 16, 16-4-1
18. South Florida, 0, 188, 19, 14-4-0
19. Texas, 0, 180, 20, 13-5-3
20. Memphis, 0, 142, 23, 17-4-0
21. NC State, 0, 140, 22, 11-7-4
22. Texas Tech, 0, 102, 24, 14-5-3
23. Wake Forest, 0, 100, 25, 9-9-2
24. LSU, 0, 78, 18, 13-7-4
25. Virginia Tech, 0, 76, 21, 11-8-3
The Tar Heels were ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll released by Top Drawer Soccer on August 6.

TAR HEELS RANKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON SOCCER AMERICA POLL: The University of North Carolina is ranked fourth in the preseason poll released Tuesday by Soccer America magazine. UNC is also ranked second in the preseason by United Soccer Coaches and third nationally by Top Drawer Soccer. UNC opens its 2019 season Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the new UNC Soccer Stadium against the Indiana Hoosiers. Carolina will play Duke at the new facility on Sunday at 6 p.m. to close out the opening weekend of play.
Soccer America Preseason Women's College Top 25
RANK TEAM (2018 RECORD)
1. Florida State (20-4-3)
2. Stanford (21-1-2)
3. UCLA (17-3-2)
4. North Carolina (20-4-2)
5. USC (17-2-3)
6. Penn State (18-6-1)
7. Georgetown (21-1-3)
8. Virginia (16-5-1)
9. Santa Clara (17-3-2)
10. Texas A&M (17-5-1)
11. Baylor (20-6-0)
12. Duke (16-4-2)
13. Vanderbilt (16-4-1)
14. West Virginia (15-4-4)
15. South Florida (14-4-0)
16. Tennessee (16-3-3)
17. Texas (13-5-3)
18. Rutgers (11-4-5)
19. South Carolina (14-6-1)
20. Texas Tech (14-5-2)
21. Wisconsin (14-4-4)
22. Clemson (12-9-0)
23. Washington State (13-6-1)
24. N.C. State (11-7-4)
25. Colorado (13-4-3)
Note: SA's Top 25 rankings will appear each Tuesday during the regular season.
Top Drawer Soccer preseason rankings are as follows.
1. Florida State 2. UCLA 3. North Carolina 4. Stanford 5. Virginia 6. Penn State 7. USC 8. Georgetown 9. Santa Clara 10. Vanderbilt 11.Texas A&M 12. Tennessee 13. Texas 14. South Florida 15. Washington State 16. South Carolina 17. Duke 18. West Virginia 19. Rutgers 20. Saint Louis 21. NC State 22. BYU 23. Princeton 24. Memphis 25. Baylor
The season-opening United Soccer Coaches rankings, in which Carolina is second, are located at this link. It was released on August 6 of this year.

THREE TAR HEELS NAMED TO 2019 HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: A trio of returnees from the University of North Carolina's 2018 NCAA Tournament runnerup team have been named to the 2019 Women's Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List presented by World Wide Technology. A total of 61 collegiate players nationwide were named to the list by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club. Tar Heels on the list are junior forward Alessia Russo of Kent, England, junior midfielder Taylor Otto of Apex, N.C. and sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto of Durham, N.C. The Watch List was announced on Thursday. Fifteen semifinalists will be announced by United Soccer Coaches on December 3. Three finalists will be identified on December 13. On January 10, 2020, the Hermann Trophy winner will be announced at the Hermann Trophy Press Conference and Awards Banquet to be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in Saint Louis. Russo was a semifinalist for the award last year. She was a first-team United Soccer Coaches All-America at forward, first-team All-ACC and the 2018 ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Despite having her 2018 season cut short by a torn ACL suffered in the final regular season game, Russo played in 14 games last season and was Carolina's third-leading scorer with 16 point. She shared the team lead in both goals scored with six and game-winning goals with four. She also had four assists. Otto was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2018 and was named third-team All-America by United Soccer Coaches. She started all 27 games for UNC and had five goals and six assists for 16 points. She tied for third on the team in scoring with 16 points, sharing that spot on the scoring column with Russo. Pinto was a first-team freshman All-America as named by Top Drawer Soccer. The Durham native was also a first-team All-ACC selection. Pinto played in 26 games, starting 25 times. She was Carolina's second-leading scorer with 20 points. She was second on the squad in assists with eight and she shared the team lead in goals scored with Russo and Julia Ashley with six.