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Game-winning goalscorer Hayley Brock heads the ball against Carolina

The sixth-ranked University of North Carolina brought three of the heroines of the recently concluded U-20 Women’s World Cup to Ludwig Field: forward Kealia Ohai, defender Crystal Dunn, and goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin. It didn’t matter. In a hard-fought, physical, defensive match to open ACC competition for both teams, Maryland all but shut down the Carolina attack and prevailed, 2-1.

The Tar Heels had the better of possession throughout the match but had few good opportunities, while the Terrapins had less of the ball but made much more of it when they did. The first good chance of the game came to Maryland ten minutes in when senior Olivia Wagner sent a long ball over the top that junior Hayley Brock was able to run onto with a defender on her shoulder and goalkeeper coming out, but her shot was high.

Ashley Spivey makes one of the sort of defensive plays that stifled the Tar Heels the entire match

Brock would have another chance to make something happen in the 23rd minute. Freshman midfielder Ashley Spivey intercepted a kick from Carolina senior goalkeeper Adelaide Gay and sent it forward where Brock got to it, made a run down the right, then sent a ball in toward the left post. Gay dove and deflected it clear. Another Terrapin forward was trying to run onto it but couldn’t quite get there in time.

Two minutes later Carolina junior forward Ohai would show why she’s a national teamer when she made a deft spin near the top of the box to get some space and then took a quick shot that went just wide. It was the Tar Heels’ first real chance of the match.

#7 Alex Reed gets congratulated after scoring the first goal of the match

Maryland would get on the scoreboard late in the first half, as in the fortieth minute sophomore Cory Ryan brought the ball up from her midfielder position. As defenders converged, she got the ball to freshman forward Alexis Prior-Brown, who from about fifteen yards out drew a defender and goalkeeper Gay. In the crowd, the ball slipped to junior Alex Reed, who fired the ball in off a defender who was attempting to cover but couldn’t redirect the ball clear. It was only the second goal the Tar Heels had given up in 2012, the first coming 598 minutes prior, early in their season opener against Portland.

The Tar Heels came out looking more organized in the second half, but still the first good chance came to the Terps in the 51st minute. Senior Becky Kaplan got just behind a crowd of defenders from about ten yards out, but second-half goalkeeper Heaberlin was in position to make the save.

Terrapin leading scorer Becky Kaplan with the ball

Four minutes later came what proved to be the deciding goal as Danielle Hubka sent the ball toward the left corner. Kaplan got to it first and crossed a low ball into the box. It looked as if a Carolina defender was in good position to make a routine clearance, but somehow it slipped past her to Brock, who had an easy putaway from six yards out.

UNC upped their intensity after that, but the Terrapin defense – midfielder Wagner and a back line of senior Domenica Hodak, sophomore Shade Pratt, and freshmen Shannon Collins and Erika Nelson – were still letting almost nothing through. They made an uncharacteristic error in the 78th minute, though, with one of the defenders knocking down Tar Heel midfielder Maria Lubrano in the box with a completely unnecessary push in the back as she was facing away from goal. The referee pointed to the spot; Lubrano took the kick and buried it in the lower right hand corner to get one back for the visitors.

Carolina would have two last chances, in the 83rd minute a shot from sophomore defender Satara Murray off a corner kick that goalkeeper Rachelle Beanlands just tipped over the bar, and a ball nicely touched by Lubrano past Beanlands three minutes later that went to Crystal Dunn at the left post who just needed to head the ball into the open net. But she sent it into the side netting instead.

Beanlands in fact needed to make but two saves the entire match, and both of those came in the second half. At the other end, Gay and Heaberlin each made two saves.

Maryland was missing two key players in Megan Gibbons and Riley Barger, but head coach Jonathan Morgan praised Pratt and Ryan for ably substituting for them in their first-ever starts.

The Terrapins all-time record against the Tar Heels is now 3-30-1, but the three wins have come in the last three meetings.

Maryland’s next match is Sunday at 1 pm at Ludwig Field against Clemson, while North Carolina travels down to Charlottesville to face Virginia at 2 pm the same day.

Photos courtesy of Ken Harriford/KLH Photography.

Other coverage:
Maryland Terrapins: Terps Top UNC For Third Straight Season
North Carolina Tar Heels: Maryland Upsets #6 Tar Heels In ACC Opener

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