DURHAM, N.C. –  For the second straight game sophomore forward Emily Bruder scored two goals while freshman forward Alex Kimball notched her first career tally as #6 North Carolina defeated Duke 3-0 in women’s soccer Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 1,695 fans at Koskinen Stadium.

 

The win was Carolina’s ninth in a row as the Tar Heels improved to 10-2-1 and remained unbeaten in the ACC with a 7-0-0 mark.  Duke falls to 7-7-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the ACC.

 

The victory by the Tar Heels sets up a matchup of unbeaten ACC squads in Chapel Hill this coming Thursday.  UNC will play host to #2-ranked Florida State (14-1 overall, 7-0 in the ACC) at Fetzer Field at 7 p.m.  UNC and Florida State are the only two unbeaten teams in conference play and both have 21 points in the team standings.  Carolina will be seeking its first win over the Seminoles since 2011 and will be looking to end a four-match losing streak against FSU.

 

Carolina’s reserve players continued to carry the Tar Heels against the Blue Devils Sunday.  The two goals by Bruder, who also scored twice in UNC’s 2-1 win over Pittsburgh on October 12, and the single tally by Kimball, a Chapel Hill freshman, now means 11 of Carolina’s 22 goals this season have been scored by players who did not start games.  UNC head coach Anson Dorrance has made liberal use of his bench in the nine-game winning streak as 23 players saw action in Sunday’s win.  Twenty-two different players saw the pitch in the first half alone.

 

On Sunday, Carolina got on the board at the 26:23 mark as Bruder scored her third goal of the season off an assist by Katie Bowen.  Midfielder Cameron Castleberry was fouled on the right side of the field, just outside the Duke penalty area.  On the ensuing free kick, Bowen sent a ball over the Duke wall that Bruder ran on to, heading it across her body into the left side of the goal.

 

The half ended at 1-0 with Ali Kershner making four first half saves for Duke and Lindsey Harris notching early saves on shots by Duke’s Christina Gibbons and Toni Payne.

 

Early in the second half, Kershner made a sprawling save on a shot by Bruder to keep the game at a one-goal margin.  Eventually, however, the Tar Heels broke through for their second goal 11:19 into the second period.  Paige Nielsen centered a ball for Joanna Boyles 35 yards from goal and the sophomore midfielder from Raleigh sent a brilliant ball over the Duke back line to Bruder who ran on to it in the left side of the box.  Kershner came off her line to try to cut off the scoring chance but Bruder got there first and finished from 15 yards into the right side of the frame.  It was Bruder’s sixth shot on goal in the match and it gave her a team-leading four goals for the Tar Heels this season.

 

Duke’s best chance came a few minutes later when Kelly Cobb broke through the defense and sent a shot from near the end line across the frame.  UNC defender Jessie Scarpa was Johnny-on-the-spot, however, as she slid and cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve the Tar Heels’ clean sheet.

 

Carolina put the game away at the 74:44 mark.  After a foul 45 yards away from the Duke goal, Bowen again sent a perfect free kick into the penalty area.  Alex Kimball was there to sky and head the ball past E.J. Proctor, who had come on in the goal for Duke, into the left side from 12 yards, earning her first goal in a Tar Heel uniform.

 

From that point on, Carolina buckled down to earn its fifth shutout of the season and its second in ACC action.  On the afternoon, UNC outshot the Blue Devils 15-6 and had a slight edge in corner kicks 4-3.  Lindsey Harris and Bryane Heaberlin combined on the shutout for the Tar Heels.  Duke’s goalkeepers combined for seven saves.

 

Tickets are currently on sale for both UNC home games this week at the UNC Ticket Center on GoHeels.com.  The Tar Heels host the Seminoles Thursday at 7 and Miami next Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Thursday’s game will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network and will also be simulcast on ESPN3.  Sunday’s game will be televised on GoHeelsTV.  Both games this week will also be broadcast locally on WCHL Radio (97.9 FM, Chapelboro.com).