When junior forward Lindsay O'Bannon scored early in the second half to draw Virginia within one goal of North Carolina, it looked as if the Cavaliers had a chance to pull off a major upset. In the end, though, Virginia (8-6) was unable to rally from a 2-0 halftime deficit and fell 3-1.
The No. 4 Tar Heels got on the board quickly, notching their first goal off a short corner less than four minutes into the game.
Minutes later, Carolina seemed poised to add to the lead and deflate Virginia's hopes when it drew another short corner. This time, Virginia goalkeeper Katherine Blair made a kick save Gary Thorne would be proud of to stifle the Tar Heels.
But with 11:18 remaining in the first half, Carolina earned another short corner. On the ensuing play, Carolina executed a play to screen Blair's vision, and the Tar Heels took a 2-0 lead.
The halftime situation for the Cavaliers looked bleak. With little offensive pressure to show for in the first half, and facing the No. 1 scoring defense in the ACC, Virginia needed to come out refreshed in the second half.
"Basically, in the first half we just didn't stay with our game plan at all," senior midfielder Sarah Miller said. "We didn't play possession how we needed to. We worked it okay from tempo to backfield, but as soon as we got into our offensive [half of the field], we were laying balls off and not playing to stick."
Early in the second half, it was clear the tone had changed for the Cavaliers. Crisp passing and strong play from the midfield kept the ball in Carolina territory, giving Virginia an opportunity to get shots on goal.
Just three minutes and 30 seconds into the half, though, senior midfielder Allie Flynn received a yellow card and was forced to the sidelines.
Playing a man down, Virginia picked an improbable time to jump back into the game. After Miller intercepted a Carolina pass, the senior passed up field to O'Bannon. The Midland, Va. native received the pass on the edge of the arch and dribbled hard across the goalmouth, firing the ball into the cage to close the gap to 2-1.
It was O'Bannon's fourth goal of the season.
Virginia coach Jess Wilk was pleased with the way the team responded in the beginning of the second half.
"We started thinking in addition to working," Wilk said.
Not six minutes later, though, the Tar Heels, still a man up, earned another short corner and put home the clinching goal.
Virginia had chances to score in the final five minutes, gaining two short corners but was unable to finish.
Knowing they had kept up with a top team in the country for 70 minutes was of little consolation for the Cavaliers after the game.
"I think they're pretty disappointed," Wilk said. "I think they know that we can play better, but they're a very resilient team, so I have every confidence that we will come back to practice tomorrow, and we'll continue working to get better and better."
With Sunday's loss, Virginia continues to look for its first ACC win of the season. The Cavaliers currently are 0-3 in conference play.
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