CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The elusive remained just that for the No. 4 Virginia women's soccer team yesterday as the Cavaliers (11-2-1, 3-2-1 ACC) dropped their second game of the season, 2-1, to North Carolina, a team they have yet to defeat in 28 tries.
With every offensive possession in the first half, Virginia faced not only a staunch opposing defense, but a powder blue banner proclaiming 18 NCAA championships for the Tar Heels. The Cavaliers managed to get off four shots in the half, but none made it on goal.
The No. 2 Tar Heels (14-0-1, 7-0-0) got their first good look at the goal with 13:09 remaining. Senior midfielder Sara Randolph broke out down the left side of the field and fed a cross into the box that scooted just out of the reach of North Carolina midfielder Lori Chalupny.
But Randolph would make up for the near miss minutes later with her first goal of the season in the 35th minute of the first half.
Chalupny played the ball from the far side into the box for junior midfielder Kacey White. White slipped the ball past the Virginia defense to the far post for Randolph, who buried a one-timer into the lower corner of the open net for a 1-0 lead, which the Tar Heels took into halftime.
Several of the Cavaliers' first half offensive drives were cut short by offsides calls caused by North Carolina's 3-4-3 pressure-focused defensive system.
"Their high pressure [system] is harder to get shots off of," Virginia junior midfielder Sarah Huffman said. "You have to break them down."
In the second half, Chalupny got back into the action early with her fifth goal of the season to cushion North Carolina's advantage. Senior midfielder Anne Felts toe punched the ball to senior forward Anne Morrell, who found Chalupny at the top of the box. Chalupny split two Virginia defenders and burned a ball past goalkeeper Christina de Vries for the goal and a 2-0 lead.
The Cavaliers' only score of the day came with just under 30 minutes to play. Junior midfielder Sarah Huffman lofted a corner kick to the far side of the box, where senior defender Jamie Fabrizio soared over the Tar Heel defense and headed the ball into the top of the net to cut the Tar Heel lead to 2-1.
But that was it for the offense. Following Fabrizio's goal, both teams' defenses took over and neither was able to produce a substantial offensive drive in the final 30 minutes. During that period, only one shot was allowed on goal. The Cavaliers held North Carolina to a season-low eight shots, but the Tar Heels in turn held them to only six, also a season low.
"Our defense is strong," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "They're a very together and experienced group. I just simply thought it was [North Carolina's] pressure that didn't allow us to do the things we normally do to create chances and enough of them to get results."
After falling to the Tar Heels at home last October, the Cavaliers went on to finish the season with a 2-1 loss in their last game of the regular season at Clemson. Then, they bowed out in the first round of the ACC tournament to Duke.
This season, three more home games remain for Virginia -- versus Virginia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina State -- games Swanson said he thinks are within his teams' ability to win.
"Had we won, we don't want to get too high," he said. "We lost, but there's no reason for this to bring us down. I think they'll learn from this game and be right back out there on Wednesday"
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