Sports > October 18, 2007

By Greg Mantell | Staff writer

The Wake Forest women’s soccer team suffered a crushing loss in Chapel Hill to its rival, the ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 1-0.

The defeat represents the team’s second straight road loss to a ranked opponent by only one goal, having fallen to the then-No. 7 Boston College Eagles the previous week, 2-1.

The loss not only dropped the team to 2-2-1 in ACC play (7-5-2 overall), but also out of the Top 25.

The Demon Deacons came into the Oct. 14 matchup against the defending National Champions with a stellar defense, limiting BC to only seven shots the game before.

The Deacs carried that momentum into this contest, allowing only three Tar Heel shots in the first half.

North Carolina’s defense, however, played just as spectacularly.

Even though the Deacons found some open space in Tar Heel territory early in the match, they missed a golden opportunity in the 26th minute when sophomore Amanda Lebo couldn’t complete a cross pass to sophomore forward Allie Sadow with UNC’s keeper, Anna Rodenbough, out of the net.

The Tar Heels then held Wake shotless for the next 52 minutes.

Sophomore Bess Harrington’s header over the net with 12 minutes to play was only Wake’s third shot of the game.

But while the Deacs’ offense struggled, North Carolina’s scorers shined, launching seven more shots on net in the second half, as well as three more in the game’s final seven minutes.

Senior forward Jaime Gilbert ultimately scored the difference-maker with eight minutes to go in the first half, burying the ball in the top right corner for the game’s only goal.

The Tar Heels continued their attack throughout the second half, staging chances in the 51st and 71st minute.

But Wake’s senior defender Meghan Upchurch successfully averted the second chance by heading the ball across Wake’s baseline.

Despite the loss, the Demon Deacons’ sophomore goalkeeper Laura Morse had one of her best games with a career-high four saves.

She too made several key plays, including saves on consecutive North Carolina possessions with five minutes left in the match.

After the game, Head Coach Tony da Luz praised the team’s defensive effort.

“Defensively we did a good job limiting UNC’s opportunities,” da Luz said.

“We really worked until the last second.”

And in spite of the team’s struggles in the second half, Upchurch lauded the team’s hustle throughout.

“It was a hard fought battle that lasted the full 90 minutes,” said the senior defender.

“I’m proud of the way we played. We went into the game with a strong mentality.”

“I think this shows how much we’ve improved in the last year and that we are going to be a team that is sticking around.”

The team’s loss in its sole regular season match against UNC this season did show a marked improvement over last year’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Tar Heels.

North Carolina remains atop the ACC standings with a 5-1 record in ACC play and an 11-3 record overall.

The loss dropped the Demon Deacons to a tie for fifth in the standings.

Next up, the women’s soccer team returns home to face Duke Oct. 18 at Spry Stadium.

The Blue Devils share the same 2-2-1 record in conference play.