By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — Still grieving about Monday’s tragic campus shooting and processing the week’s events, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s soccer team tried to find joy on the pitch the evening after classes resumed.

If only for two hours, Thursday night’s match against Gardner-Webb offered the Tar Heels players a distraction from the mental fatigue of what happened. Most of the players wore black wristbands in memory of professor Zijie Yan.

What happened on the pitch was the expected domination in UNC’s easiest game on an otherwise challenging schedule. The Bulldogs (1–3) were shut out for the fourth time this season as the Tar Heels (3–0–2) rolled to a 5–0 victory at Dorrance Field.

To give the players and the coaching staff more time to deal with the tragic events of the week before doing interviews, there was no postgame media availability. The Daily Tar Heel wasn’t there to cover the match as the student journalists won’t cover any games until Saturday night’s football opener against South Carolina in Charlotte.

UNC’s third consecutive shutout, and fourth this season, extended its shutout streak to 346 minutes as the Dellaperuta sisters, Talia and Tori, both scored. The Tar Heels outshot G-W 41–1, the most shots since they got off a school-record 44 in a 5–0 victory in 2019 over Belmont. UNC had a 15–0 edge on corner kicks.

Since Penn State got three shots on goal in UNC’s scoreless draw in the season opener, the last four opponents each have only one shot on goal. This was the second time in three games (also in the scoreless draw with Wisconsin) that the opponent has been held to one shot.

Just like before UNC’s home volleyball opener next door at Carmichael Arena, a 3–0 win over West Virginia, there was a moment of silence for Yan.

Given the caliber of the opponent, 25 players got into the game, but senior midfielder Sam Meza, redshirt sophomore left back Emerson Elgin and redshirt sophomore Emmie Allen, the usual starting goaltender, all got the night off.

Redshirt freshman goaltender Nona Reason started in her college debut for the Tar Heels but she was pretty much just watching the offensive domination as Carolina had 85% of the possession time. Reason touched the ball twice before the 72nd minute when she saved the only shot she saw.

Sophomore left back Tessa Dellarose, an ACC All-Freshman and third-team All-ACC pick last year, got her first start of the season in place of Elgin, and took full advantage of it.

Dellarose, who started the first 21 games last season, took a cross from Emily Colton in the 14th minute and tapped in her first career goal to get the blowout started.

Senior forward Talia Dellaperuta headed Avery Patterson’s pass in for a score in the 23rd minute. Patterson was back after going down and leaving the game during the second half of Sunday’s 4–0 win over USC.

The rout was on when freshman forward Melina Rebimbas fired in a goal with a left-footed strike on Carolina’s 16th shot in the 32nd minute.

Sophomore forward Tori Dellaperuta, Talia’s younger sister, headed in a corner from Rebimbas in the 65th minute.

Sophomore midfielder Kate Faassee tapped in a cross from freshman midfielder Evelyn Shores in the 88th minute for the fifth goal.

NOTES — Carolina’s next three opponents are ranked. The Tar Heels are host to No. 8 Arkansas at 2 p.m. Sunday (ACC Network), visit No. 13 South Carolina at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 (ESPNU) and play at No. 5 Alabama at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 (ESPN). … The Razorbacks are 3–0–1 after beating Milwaukee 5–2 in a Thursday home game. … UNC finished August undefeated for the sixth consecutive season. … Maddie Dahlien, an ACC All-Freshman pick last season, started in Meza’s midfield spot for her first start of the season and fifth of her career. … UNC junior Asha Means banged an 87th minute penalty shot off the crossbar. … It was the first meeting between UNC and Gardner-Webb, coached by Tina Murphy, who won four national championships playing at Carolina from 1996–2000. … Gardner-Webb’s only win came 8–0 against Allen, a Division II school. The Bulldogs’ four losses have come by a combined score of 19–0.

No. 4 UNC 5, Gardner-Webb 0

Tar Heels’ starting 3–2–2–3 alignment

	Goaltender
	Nona Reason
	Defenders
RB Maycee Bell	CB Savy King	LB Tessa Dellarose
	Midfielders
Maddie Dahlein		Emily Moxley
Ally Sentnor		Emily Colton
	Forwards
Avery Patterson	Olivia Thomas	Talia Dellaperuta

Date	Month/day	Time/ score	Opponent	TV/ record
	August
14	Thursday	L, 2–0	at Tennessee	0–1
17	Sunday	W, 5–0	vs. Siena	1–1
21	Thursday	6:30	at Georgia	SECN+
24	Sunday	Noon	vs. Rice	ACCNE
28	Thursday	4 p.m.	vs. UNCG	ACCNE
31	Sunday	Noon	vs. Wisc.-Milwaukee
	September
4	Thursday	7 p.m.	vs. Alabama
7	Sunday	1 p.m.	vs. James Madison
11	Thursday	7 p.m.	at Virginia Tech
17	Wednesday	7 p.m.	vs. Florida State	ACCN
25	Thursday	6 p.m.	At Notre Dame	ACCN
	October
2	Thursday	7 p.m.	vs. Boston College	ACCN
5	Sunday	4 p.m.	vs. Pittsburgh
12	Sunday	1 p.m.	at Duke	ESPNU
17	Friday	6 p.m.	at SMU
23	Thursday	7 p.m.	at Miami
26	Sunday	1 p.m.	vs. Syracuse
30	Thursday	8 p.m.	vs. N.C. State	ACCN
	November		ACC tournament
2	Sunday		First round: Campus sites
6, 9	Thurs., Sun.	W, 2–1	Semifinals, final: Cary
			NCAA tournament
13	Thursday		First round Campus sites
	December	Women’s College Cup
5, 8	Fri., Mon.		CPKC Stadium Kansas City