CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — On a chilly, rainy evening in Chapel Hill, the women’s soccer team only mustered one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of play and fell to perennial power and No. 7 North Carolina 4-1 Thursday night at Fetzer Field.
State nearly scored the first goal when junior Lindsay Vera walked in alone and narrowly missed a wide-open net. However, after that initial scare, the Tar Heels took over, taking the next 11 shots on goal and sending the Pack back on its heels.
“We gave a good effort, but it was wet and we had a little bit of trouble keeping the ball,” sophomore defender Katie Ruiz said. “We had a lot of turnovers and we never really got into our rhythm where we could relax and play the ball to each other’s feet. That’s what killed us.”
The Wolfpack appeared to be overwhelmed at many points during the match and the Heels, who have lost only three games this season, made quick work of the team’s mistakes. The first two goals, scored by Casey Nogueira and Yael Averbuch, resulted from defensive errors and were both unassisted.
Freshmen Rachel Barnette and Sabrina Lukasik both had solid performances, according to the coach Laura Kerrigan. Although Barnette allowed four goals in the game, the goal differential could have been far worse if it had not been for her stellar play, the coach said.
“Really, the saves don’t tell the picture of what Rachel did as far as coming off the line and cutting off a lot of opportunities they had on goal,” Kerrigan said.
Lukasik scored the first goal of her collegiate career midway through the second half off a defensive miscue by the Tar Heels. After the UNC goalkeeper failed to clear the ball, Lukasik sent the ball sailing over her head and into the net. The young forward said she would never forget it.
“It’s every soccer player’s dream to score against your number one rival,” Lukasik said. “I just saw the opportunity and I took advantage of it.”
State seemed to find its legs after Lukasik’s goal, but by that point it was too little, too late.
“I think we came in knowing we were the underdogs,” Lukasik said. “We tried a little more toward the end after we scored — it was obvious that we kind of picked up the pressure — but we waited way too long to get it together.”
Noticeably absent from State’s bench was former captain Jessica O’Rourke, who sustained a head injury Sunday at Boston College and was a late scratch for the game against Carolina.
“She collided with the keeper at Boston College, and they ruled that it was a concussion,” Kerrigan said. “The general rule is that you’re out a week after your last symptom, so we’ll hopefully have her back for Sunday’s game.”
Although she says her team is looking ahead, Lukasik said the team may have left a little on the field.
“It didn’t really seem like everyone was playing as hard as they should be,” Lukasik said. “We were OK, but I think we definitely could have played a lot better.”
