Fifth-ranked North Carolina improved to 21-2-1 all-time in Atlantic Coast Conference openers Friday night, scoring the last five goals of the game to beat NC State 5-1 before a soggy crowd of 1,327 at Fetzer Field.  Five different goal scorers led the way for UNC (6-1, ACC 1-0) while senior Emmalie Pfankuch recorded assists on a pair of goals.

 

Coming off a loss to Texas A&M, the Tar Heels saw themselves fall behind the Wolfpack early in the match as NC State scored for the first time against the Tar Heel 11 since a match on September 25, 2007 when Carolina won 4-1 at Fetzer Field.  The goal came off the foot of Stephanie Bronson, her fourth of the season.  Julia Sandridge’s initial shot clanked off the cross bar but Bronson was johnny-on-the-spot as she got behind the UNC defense to punch the rebound past UNC keeper Adelaide Gay at the 14:42 mark.

 

NC State’s lead was short-lived, however.  In fact, it took UNC only 27 seconds for Carolina to record the equalizer courtesy of sophomore forward Crystal Dunn.  The versatile Rockville Centre, N.Y., native stole a pass and unleashed a shot through traffic from the 12-yard line.  NCSU goalkeeper Kim Kern got her hands on the ball but not enough to stop it from trickling over the goal line.  Dunn’s goal was her second of the tear and it tied the match at 1-1 at 15:09.

 

Dunn almost gave the Tar Heels the lead in the 23^rd minute as her shot from the right wing hit the left post.  Kern was able to scramble back into position and save Courtney Jones’ rebound shot, keeping the game tied.  With the game still tied in the 38^th minute, NCSU earned a corner kick and Bronson found herself unmarked in the box about 14 yards out but Gay parried the point blank shot over the end line to force another corner.

 

After that escape, the Tar Heels found new life and junior defender Megan Brigman took advantage to tally her third goal of the season at 41:17.  After a foul deep just outside the box by the Wolfpack, Amber Brooks sent a dangerous ball into the six-yard box.  The NC State defense sent it back out but Brigman saw the ball coming and she waved off a pair of teammates as she ran on to it and buried a scorching 25-yard rocket into the lower left corner, giving the Tar Heels a halftime advantage for the seventh straight game this season.

 

The Tar Heels really turned it on in the second half, outshooting the Wolfpack 13-2, forcing Kern to make six second-half saves and making liberal use of their bench.  Twenty UNC players saw action in the second half as Carolina wore down the Wolfpack, which fell to 7-2 overall and 0-1 in the league.  It was UNC’s substitutes to would provide separation as Carolina ran off three goals in less than eight minutes to turn a close game into a rout.

 

At 66:53, Maria Lubrano upped the Tar Heel lead to 3-1 one on a brilliant, curving strike that curled its way over Kern’s outstretched arms into the upper left 90 of the frame.  Emmalie Pfankuch earned her first of the night on the tally.

 

Carolina struck again less than five minutes later as reserve midfielder Rebecca Crabb notched her first goal of the season off an assist by Ranee Premji at 71:24.  Premji had the initial shot on the play which Kern turned aside but Crabb ran on to the ball and finished into the left side from 10 yards out.

 

UNC wrapped up the scoring at 74:26 with Premji earning her team-high fourth goal of the campaign.  Pfankuch drove down the right side, penetrated the penalty box and sent a searing cross along the frame of the goal where Premji ran on from four yards to finish.

 

UNC outshot the Wolfpack 22-5 and had a marked edge in corner kicks 10-2.

 

Carolina will return to the pitch on Sunday, September 25 at 3 p.m. to face nationally-ranked Virginia at Fetzer Field in a game to be nationally televised on ESPNU.  That game will mark a Project Heel fundraiser for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.  UNC players will be wearing all-pink uniforms that will later be raffled off on TarHeelBlue.com and a skills clinic will be hosted by the UNC players from 6-7:30 p.m. on Hooker Intramural Fields.  Information can be found by emailing [email protected].