Second Half Goal Lifts No. 4 Duke Past No. 2 UNC

Friday, September 17

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7 PM

North Carolina

7-1-0, 0-1-0

Duke

7-0-0, 1-0-0

Duke

North Carolina

September 17, 2021 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Fourth-Largest Home Crowd at UNC

By: Steve Kirschner

Midfielder Tess Boade's goal in the 55^th minute gave No. 4 Duke a 1-0 win over No. 2 North Carolina in an ACC-opening women's soccer match for both teams Friday evening at Dorrance Field.

Duke is now 7-0 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, while the Tar Heels drop to 7-1, 0-1.

The loss was Carolina's first in a regular-season ACC game since 2016. The Tar Heels were 38-0-3 in their previous 41 regular-season conference games.

The game was played before a sellout crowd of 5,301, the fourth-largest home crowd in UNC women's soccer history.

Boade, a fifth-year graduate student from Colorado, scored from 12 yards out on a transition goal following assists by Olivia Migli and Michelle Cooper.

Carolina out-shot the Blue Devils, 15-9, for the game, but couldn't get a shot past Duke keeper Ruthie Jones, who made six saves.
That included a 7-2 edge in shots in the first half when the Tar Heels had several quality scoring chances.

Rachel Jones blasted a left-footer just over the bar with 27:54 to play in the half, then moments later Ruthie Jones made two exceptional saves to keep the game scoreless. First, she tipped a Libby Moore shot over the cross bar, then prevented an own goal when Carolina's corner kick was deflected toward the goal by a Blue Devil defender.

Early in the second half, UNC's Emily Colton fed Rachel Jones in the middle of the box for a scoring chance but Ruthie Jones made the stop.

Trailing 1-0, Carolina had an opportunity with 25 minutes to play in the second half on a through ball to Mollie Baker that led to a one-on-one, but Baker was unable to get a clean shot off and Jones came off her line to make the stop.

Cooper nearly gave Duke a 2-0 advantage with 9:40 remaining but Claudia Dickey made a diving save for the Tar Heels. Dickey finished with three saves.

Carolina's final scoring chance came with 45 seconds to play after a free kick but Maycee Bell's shot sailed high over the bar.

The Tar Heels return to action September 23 at 7 p.m. at Dorrance Field against Virginia Tech.