CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –  Sophomore forward Emily Bruder came off the bench to score her first two career goals as seventh-ranked North Carolina spotted Pittsburgh an early goal and came back to win 2-1 in women’s soccer action at soggy Fetzer Field Sunday.

 

The Tar Heels, who were once 1-2-1 this season, have now won eight matches in a row to improve to 9-2-1 overall and 6-0-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Carolina remains tied atop the ACC standings with defending conference champion Florida State, which beat Virginia Tech 2-1 Sunday in Tallahassee.  Pittsburgh, a much improved team in its second year in the ACC, is now 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the ACC.

 

The Tar Heels continued their knack for winning one-goal games this season, improving to 8-2 in matches decided by a single tally.

 

UNC head coach Anson Dorrance expressed his pleasure post-match with how the Tar Heels played on Sunday but he was disappointed in the margin of victory.  Carolina outshot the Panthers 26-6 and also had a 14-0 edge in corner kicks but missed scoring on some golden opportunities to provide separation in the second half.  Credit goes to Pittsburgh goalkeeper Taylor Francis, from nearby Cary, N.C., as she made 11 saves on the afternoon.

 

Pitt took the lead at 24:05 on a top-notch free kick by Roosa Arvas, the Panthers’ leading scorer with nine goals.  Carolina defender Satara Murray committed a foul 22 yards from goal on a streaking Pitt striker and was issued a yellow card on the play.  Pitt set up a three-woman huddle around the ball with two players jumping over the ball before Arvas buried her free kick perfectly into the upper right 90.  There was nothing UNC goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin could have done with the a shot of that calibre.

 

With UNC reserves on the field in the final stages of the first half, it fell to Bruder, a Sandy, Utah native, to make the big plays to bring Carolina back.

 

Freshman Alex Kimball won a header off a kick from the goalkeeper and she niftily sent it down where it bounced on the slick surface through the back line of Pitt defenders.  Bruder ran on to the ball and broke away from the defense.  She dribbled into the penalty area and calmly placed the ball into the left side of the goal from 15 yards away past Francis.  Not only was it the first career goal for Bruder, it was also the first career point for Kimball as she earned the assist.

 

Bruder then notched the game-winner at 37:50.  After a UNC corner kick by Sarah Ashley Firstenberg from the left side, Satara Murray headed the ball back into the middle of the penalty area from the far post.  Maya Worth’s initial touch sent a spinning ball toward the end line.  A Pittsburgh defender attempted to clear the ball but it squirted to an unmarked Bruder who drove the ball into the back of the net from six yards away.

 

Pittsburgh had the first two shots of the second half, trying to beat UNC keeper Lindsey Harris, who came on at halftime in Carolina’s usual goalkeeper rotation.  Harris gobbled up both tricky bounce shots off the slick field.  In the final 43:27 of the match, UNC would go on to outshoot the Panthers 16-1.  Seven of Francis’ saves came in the second half.  Carolina had a host of scoring chances with the best off the foot of Katie Bowen with 6:22 to play but Francis again came up big for the Panthers.

 

Carolina has seven days off before its heads to Durham next Sunday to meet Duke in the annual rivalry game between the two Triangle area teams.  Match time is 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN3.