CHAPEL HILL, N.C.  –   Crystal Dunn scored a pair of goals and Amber Munerlyn had a goal and an assist as fourth-ranked North Carolina beat NC State 3-0 in women’s soccer action Thursday night at rainy Fetzer Field.

 

A crowd of 1,142 braved the elements as the Tar Heels won their fourth straight game to improve to 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the ACC.  With six regular-season games remaining plus the ACC Tournament, UNC has already exceeded its win total from a year ago when it entered the NCAA Tournament 10-5-2.  The Wolfpack fell to 6-8 with the loss and 1-7 in the ACC.

 

Dunn tallied her 10th and 11th goals for the Tar Heels and Munerlyn racked up her first career points as Carolina outshot the Wolfpack 26-1 and had a staggering 20-0 edge in corner kicks.  Mackenzie Stelljes went the whole way in goal for NC State, making five saves.

 

UNC’s Anna Sieloff and Bryane Heaberlin combined on the clean sheet for the Tar Heels.  Gladys Loyas had the lone shot of the game for NC State at 41:23 of the match.

 

The Wolfpack defense did a good job of clogging up the middle much of the night.  Although only eight of Carolina’s 26 shots were technically on goal, the Tar Heels had multiple corner kick opportunities created because Wolfpack defenders were blocking Tar Heel shots over the end line.

 

It was Dunn who got the Tar Heels on the board at 20:25.  The senior midfielder took a through ball from Katie Bowen and finished into the lower left side of the frame from the top of the 18-yard box for her 10th goal of the season.

 

The Tar Heels would go on to tally two more goals in the second half, both set up by brilliant passing sequences.  At 58:48, Dunn notched her second goal of the game and 11th of the season as she knocked a 15-yard shot off the left post and into the back of the net after nifty set-up passes by Amber Munerlyn and Kelly McFarlane.

 

Then at 83:52, Munerlyn was the recipient of a pair of nice touches as she finished from the four-yard line past Stelljes.  Meg Morris made a strong run down the left side of the pitch into the box and centered a ball from the end line that was flicked on by Kealia Ohai to the waiting boot of Munerlyn for the put away into the back of the net.  Munerlyn had almost earned her first career goal earlier in the second half when her shot at 50:58 hit the left post.

 

The win over the Wolfpack lifted the Tar Heels into sole possession of fifth place in the league standings heading into Sunday’s match at Boston College against the Eagles (7-6, ACC 4-4).  Virginia leads the standings with 21 points followed by Florida State with 20, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech with 16, UNC with 15, Boston College with 12, Wake Forest with 11 and Clemson with 10.  The top eight regular-season finishers earn their way into ACC Tournament quarterfinal action on November 3.

 

Fans can follow UNC’s game Sunday with Gametracker at BCEagles.com or with live Twitter updates @ncwomenssoccer.