CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –  Eighth-ranked North Carolina scored the opening three goals of the match and withstood a furious rally by fifth-ranked Virginia Tech to prevail 3-2 in women’s soccer action Friday afternoon at Fetzer Field.

 

Carolina won its sixth match in a row and improved to 7-2-1 on the season.  The Tar Heels also kept their ACC record perfect at 4-0.  Virginia Tech, which opened its campaign with 10 successive wins, has now dropped two of its past three matches and is now 11-2 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC.

 

Carolina built a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Megan Buckingham and Sarah Ashley Firstenberg and then made it 3-0 in the third minute of the second half on a goal by Joanna Boyles.

 

Virginia Tech answered UNC’s third goal just 1:05 later on an unassisted goal by Candace Cephers.  That goal switched the momentum to the Hokies, who scored less than 10 minutes later to cut the lead to 3-2.  The Hokies went on to outshoot the Tar Heels 10-3 overall in the second half but Carolina’s defense held strong over the last 31:45 of the match to prevail with the victory.

 

Other than a tie at defending national champion UCLA, Carolina has played nothing but one-goal games this year and has persevered to post a 7-2 record in those games.

 

UNC opened the scoring just 3:07 into the match as freshman Megan Buckingham scored her third goal of the season to finish off a nifty passing combination.  Amber Munerlyn fed a through ball from 22 yards out through the penalty area to Summer Green who took it on the right side of the box in stride and sent a ball across the six-yard line.  Buckingham ran on to the ball in stride and finished perfectly into the center of the goal.

 

The Hokies almost got the tying goal at the 9:47 mark of the half.  After a foul by the Tar Heels near midfield, the Hokies’ Katie Yensen sent a dangerous free kick into the box where Murielle Tiernan headed it on from the three- yard line.  Heaberlin held her line and gobbled up the shot to keep the Tar Heels in the lead.  Just a couple of minutes later, Carolina had an excellent chance to score as Summer Green found Joanna Boyles in the box off a corner kick.  Boyles sent a shot to the far post that was cleared off the line at the last second by a Virginia Tech defender.

 

The Tar Heels would outshoot the Hokies 9-4 in the first half and they capitalized with a second goal just 2:01 before halftime.  Three reserves combined on the goal that resulted in a nifty header by Sarah Ashley Firstenberg finding the back of the net for her first career goal.  Annie Kingman sent a ball from the center of the pitch to the left side where defender Danae O’Halloran sent a perfect cross to the onrushing Firstenberg who skied for the put away.  O’Halloran’s assist was her first career point.

 

The Heels struck early in the second half as Joanna Boyles scored on a looping shot from the top of the penalty area.  Carolina sent a ball into a dangerous area and Virginia Tech goalkeeper Caroline Kelly came off her line and was unable to snag it.  Amber Munerlyn ran on to the ball and centered a pass back to Boyles who finished into the upper left corner for her third goal of the year.

 

Virginia Tech scored at 48:51 on Cephers’ fourth goal of the year.  Shannon Mayrose of the Hokies sent a dangerous pass into the box that Lindsay Harris knocked down on the goal line.  Megan Buckingham immediately cleared the ball off the line but it went right to Cephers who headed it in.

 

The Hokies struck again at 58:15 as Murielle Tiernan scored her ninth goal of the season, assisted by Ashley Meier.  After a build up in the attacking third, Meier slipped a pass across the box to Tiernan who finished from 12 yards out past a diving Harris who had come off her line to cut off the angle.

 

Virginia Tech would continue to make things interesting for the Tar Heels but it produced only one more shot on goal.  After a foul by Carolina, Jordan Coburn sent a shot from 35 yards out that Harris tipped over the bar at the 66:42 mark.  Carolina’s defense then limited Virginia Tech to a single shot in the final 23:18 to earn the result.

 

Virginia Tech ended the match with a 14-12 edge in shots while UNC won seven corner kicks in comparison to six for the Hokies.  Caroline Kelly finished with three saves for the Hokies.  Bryane Heaberlin played the first half for the Tar Heels in goal and made two saves and improved to 4-1 in goalie decisions this year.  Lindsey Harris made three second half saves for Carolina.

 

The Tar Heels will have a six-day break from action before continuing their three-game home stand next Thursday when they host Wake Forest at 7 p.m.  Carolina will follow that up with a match against Pittsburgh on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m.  Both of those matches will be telecast nationally on ESPN3 and WatchESPN and broadcast locally on WCHL (97.9 FM, Chapelboro.com).