LINCOLN, NEB.  –  Ranee Premji scored her second career game-winning goal, scoring on a rebound with 13:27 to play in the match, lifting the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to a 2-1 win over Nebraska before a record crowd of 2,319 fans at Nebraska Soccer Field.  North Carolina won its season opener for the fourth straight year and will carry a 1-0 record into next Friday’s matchup against defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Notre Dame at Fetzer Field at 7 p.m.

 

Premji’s game-winner came on a rebound of a shot by Carolina’s Courtney Jones that was initially saved by Nebraska goalkeeper Emma Stevens.  Premji carried the ball down the middle of the field and passed to Jones on the right.  Jones sent a shot from about 15 yards out that Stevens was able to parry away but Premji was right there to send home the rebound from the left side of the box into the empty net for just her second career tally.  The goal came at 76:33 of the match.  Premji’s other career goal came in a 1-0 win over Florida State on October 14, 2010 when she scored in the 87^th minute.  Jones also assisted on that game-winning goal by Premji.

 

UNC got off to a great start, scoring less than two minutes into the game as redshirt junior Maria Lubrano tallied her third career goal and her first since striking against Maryland on November 1, 2009.  Lubrano, who missed last season with a hip injury, earned the start at forward against the Cornhuskers and produced right away.  Stevens knocked down Kealia Ohai’s shot from the left side of the box but Lubrano pounced on the rebound at the 10-yard mark and struck a laser into the back of the goal for a 1-0 Tar Heel lead at the 1:34 mark.

 

The Tar Heel goal came just 32 seconds after UNC goalkeeper Hannah Daly made her first save of the night on a shot by Molly Thomas.  Nebraska had another shot on goal by Thomas at the 13:07 mark but Cornhuskers’ best chance to score in the first half came at the 33:34 mark when Morgan Marlborough got behind the UNC defense for a one-on-one chance with Daly but pushed her shot wide to the left.

 

The Tar Heels had a great chance to make it 2-0 late in the half.  A Cornhusker defender cleared out Emmalie Pfankuch’s shot in the box with 2:02 left in the period and Alyssa Rich’s follow shot was blocked by the defense over the end line for a corner kick.  Carolina ended the half with an 8-3 edge in shots and a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

 

Shortly after halftime, the game took a huge momentum swing when Jordan Jackson of the Cornhuskers scored an unassisted goal at the 48:15 mark in the match.  Daly had control of the ball and was attempting to dribble the ball back into the UNC penalty area for a punting opportunity.  Jackson never gave up on the ball and toe poked it away from Daly and then scored into the empty net to tie the game at 1-1.

 

It did not take long, however, for Daly to make up for that miscue and her play down the stretch was crucial to the Tar Heels pulling out the road win.  At 59:39, UNC’s Brooke Elby was called for taking down Morgan Marlborough in the box.  On the ensuing penalty kick, Daly dove to her right and knocked Marlborough’s shot away to keep the score tied.  Marlborough had another great opportunity to give the Huskers the lead with 16:23 to play as she was unmarked in the box but her shot from 12 yards away was denied by Daly with a diving save.

 

Less than three minutes later, Premji gave the Tar Heels the lead for good.  Daly preserved the margin with a save on a shot by Thomas with 7:59 left and maybe the biggest play of the game when she dove on a ball at the top of the box that Stacy Bartels was running on to with five minutes to play.

 

The second half saw UNC continue to pepper the Nebraska goal, outshooting the Huskers 11-4 in the period and forcing Stevens to made six second-half saves.  Daly finished with three second-half saves and five for the game. 

 

Overall, UNC finished with a 19-7 edge in shots, including 10-6 in shots on goal.  Carolina also finished with an 11-3 edge in corner kicks.

 

The game was played before 2,319 fans, eclipsing the previous record crowd of 1,021 at Nebraska Soccer Field on August 26, 2005 in a game between Nebraska and Minnesota.  Friday’s game also marked Nebraska’s first athletic contest as the newest member of the Big 10 Conference.

 

Carolina will host the Carolina Nike Classic next weekend in Chapel Hill, welcoming Duke, Houston and top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Notre Dame to Fetzer Field.  Duke and Houston play at 5 p.m. Friday followed by UNC and Notre Dame at 7 p.m.  Duke and Notre Dame will meet on Sunday, August 28 at 1 p.m. followed by Carolina versus Houston at 3 p.m.  Tickets are on sale now at the Ticket Center on TarHeelBlue.com.