CORAL GABLES, FLA.  –   Crystal Dunn notched the first hat trick of her career as the No. 5 North Carolina women’s soccer team ended its two-match losing streak by defeating Miami 4-0 at Cobb Stadium.

 

The Tar Heels improved to 8-2 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC with the victory while Miami fell to 6-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

 

Dunn scored three times in the game, the first hat trick by a UNC player since Courtney Jones scored three goals against Duke on October 28, 2010 in a 5-3 Carolina win at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.

 

Summer Green had the other goal for the Tar Heels as she converted a penalty kick with 4:07 left in the match.

 

UNC outshot the Hurricanes 22-2 in the match and had a 10-1 edge in shots on goal.

 

The Tar Heels outshot the Hurricanes 9-1 in the first half and carried a 1-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.  Crystal Dunn’s seventh goal of the season proved to be the difference at the half in favor of the Tar Heels.  The Hurricanes’ only shot of the game came in the ninth minute of play.  The Tar Heels then took over control of the game in the final 35 minutes of the half, outshooting the Hurricanes 8-0 the remainder of the period.

 

At 13:09 of the game, Kealia Ohai had a shot from the six-yard line go just wide of the left post.  A litter over two minutes later, at 15:47, Paige Nielsen’s hard strike from distance tested Emily Lillard with the Canes’ goalkeeper making her only save of the first half.

 

Eventually, Carolina’s advantage in possession paid off as Crystal Dunn notched her seventh goal of the year, finishing a nifty play into the lower right corner from the top of the box.  Dunn won possession about 25 yards out, dribbled to her left to the top of the box and struck a hard, low shot from 18 yards into the lower right side of the cage.

 

Miami had its best chance of the game a little over eight minutes into the second half but Erin McGovern’s header off a corner kick was parried away at the last second by UNC goalkeeper Anna Sieloff.

 

After that escape the Tar Heels went on to dominate the second half, outshooting Miami 13-1 in the second half.

 

UNC doubled its lead at 63:39 of the game as Dunn notched her second goal of the game and eighth of the season off an assist by Katie Bowen.  Dunn finished from 20 yards out with a left-footed strike into the upper right 90 of the frame.

 

Dunn struck again less than seven minutes later as she powered another shot past Emily Lillard at 70:07 of the match.  She received assists from Paige Nielsen and Satara Murray on the goal as she finished from 18 yards out into the right corner.

 

The Tar Heels made it 4-0 with a goal at 85:53 of the match.  Summer Green earned a penalty kick for the Tar Heels after she was taken down in the box by a Hurricane defender.  She finisher into the left side of the frame on the penalty kick to garner her third goal of the season.

 

The Tar Heels will continue their road trip Thursday when they play at Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer Pittsburgh.  Game time is 7 p.m. at the Petersen Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, Pa.  The game will be nationally televised on ESPN3 and will mark the first meeting in history between the Tar Heels and the Panthers.