By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Battling a goalie playing as hot as the steamy August conditions at Dorrance Field, it was tough for No. 5 North Carolina to find much satisfaction in a game the Tar Heels dominated.
Junior midfielder Tessa Dellarose broke through and changed that when she fired in a shot in the 75th minute as UNC won 2–0 on a Sunday afternoon when the Heels dominated shots 24–3. Graduate UNC goaltender Clare Gagne only had to make one save, but it was massive.
Carolina (4–0–0) peppered Arizona junior goaltender Olivia Ramey with shots. Still, she was brilliant, knocking one shot over the crossbar, kicking away others and was in an amazing groove until Dellarose solved the 5–9 Oklahoma transfer.
“We were getting good chances but couldn’t finish; the goalkeeper did a great job in there, but trying to get the breakthrough was just really awesome,” Dellarose said. “It just felt like we finally got that moment after putting in a lot of hard work.”
Interim UNC coach Damon Nahas, undefeated through four games, wasn’t available for postgame interviews because he had to take a recruit to the airport.
Dellarose lofted a shot high just under the crossbar in the 75th minute, her third shot of the game and second on goal, to score the first goal in 255 minutes this season off Ramsey, who made nine saves.
“I saw it bounce out, and I wasn’t really keen on taking it on the right,” said Dellarose, who scored her second goal of the season and third of her career. “So, I thought I’d just take one more touch and at least have a shot. If it didn’t go in, then I’d have it create a second chance or something.”
Gagne earned the shutout with only one save, but it was an outstanding stop on a one-on-one chance for Arizona’s Brooke Ahern in the 85th minute. That prevented the equalizer as she got her first shutout as a Tar Heel after getting six shutouts last season for Brown.
Carolina sophomore forward Olivia Thomas gave the Heels some breathing room on a goal 2½ minutes later on an impossible angle from the right side for her third goal in two matches.
“I think we’re doing great,” Dellarose said. “Every single game, I think we’re building off of it, and we’re improving going through the film. We’re just adding layers and layers to our game, and it’s definitely looked a lot better from the first game till now. So, I’m pretty excited for where we’re going.”
UNC shut down Arizona (3–1–0), which had combined for 11 goals in its first three games, possessing the ball 71% of the first half. Freshman defender Trinity Armstrong foiled a promising chance in the 28th minute, sliding to knock the ball away.
Freshman forward Linda Ullmark had an excellent close-in chance to go off the crossbar in the 41st minute.
NOTES — Carolina plays the third of four consecutive home games on Thursday, meeting North Dakota at 4 p.m. (ESPN3). The Fighting Hawks are 2–0–2 after Sunday’s 7–0 home win over Alabama State with a 36–5 shot advantage. … Thomas and Ramey both went down after colliding in front of the goal in the 38th minute. Ramey took much longer to get up; both stayed in the game. … For the second consecutive game, Thomas outshot the opponent with four shots compared to three for the Wildcats. … UNC junior forward Maddie Dahlien missed her second consecutive game as she prepares to play for the U.S. in the U20 World Cup in Columbia from Aug. 31 to Sept 22. Former UNC players Ally Sentnor and Savy King are also on the American Team. … It was the first meeting between UNC and Arizona. … Arizona coach Becca Maros played at Duke from 2003 to 2006, scoring twice in a 2–1 win over UNC in Chapel Hill in 2005, one of four all-time Duke wins over Carolina. … All four Carolina opponents have had five shots or fewer.
No. 5 UNC 2, Arizona 0
| 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 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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