NOTRE DAME, IND. –  Senior Maria Lubrano scored with less than six minutes to play Sunday afternoon to lift 19^th-ranked North Carolina to a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium before a crowd of 1,925.  The victory gave the Tar Heels the team title of the 2012 Notre Dame adidas Invitational.  This marks the third time Carolina has won the tournament title.

Freshman forward Summer Green was named the tournament’s Offensive Most Valuable Player after she had a goal and two assists in weekend wins over Connecticut 2-0 and the Fighting Irish 1-0.  Senior midfielder Amber Brooks won Defensive Most Valuable Player honors in leading Carolina to a pair of shutout wins.  The Tar Heels have now posted clean sheets in succession against Florida, Connecticut and Notre Dame.  Andi Tostanoski of Santa Clara was named the winner of the Golden Glove as the tournament’s outstanding goalkeeper.

The Tar Heels dominated Sunday’s game statistically, outshooting the Fighting Irish 18-3, including a 12-0 margin in the second half of the game.  Elyse Hight made seven saves in goal to keep the Tar Heels at bay until the game’s 85^th minute when Maria Lubrano finished a brilliant service by Green, going top shelf from the six-yard line past a helpless Hight.  Brooke Elby, who scored the insurance goal in Friday’s win over UConn, sent a through ball to Green, who dribbled past a pair of defenders to the end line, gingerly keeping the ball in play before sending the finishing touch to the onrushing Lubrano, who had barely missed on a chance four minutes prior.

The Tar Heels then buckled down on defense and ran out the clock to improve to 2-1-1 on the campaign.  The Fighting Irish saw their three-game winning streak stopped and fell to 3-2.

UNC will return to the pitch next Friday when it plays Marquette in the 2012 Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.  Game time is 5 p.m.  Duke will play San Diego at 7:30 p.m.  The opponents are switched next Sunday as Carolina meets San Diego at 11 a.m. and Duke plays Marquette at 1:30 p.m.

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