The Tar Heels finished the exhibition season with a 2-0 record, posting a pair of clean sheet victories. UNC, who defeated VCU 5-0 in its exhibition opener earlier in the week, out-shot its two opponents by a combined total of 65-11.
“That’s off our defensive pressure,” UNC head coach Anson Dorrance said. “Our kids work to win the ball back. I want to credit [coach] Damon Nahas for all the work he’s doing to have us become a very dangerous attacking team and have us evolve into a very sophisticated team. We’re not there yet, but there were some very good moments.
“I’m very proud of where we are right now, but also of where we are going.”
Sam Meza found Tori Dellaperuta streaking towards the goal and the freshman drilled the ball into the back of the net for the opening goal in the 12th minutes.
The Tar Heels limited BYU to just two shots in the first half and led 1-0 at intermission.
UNC doubled its lead less than three minutes into the second half Avery Patterson struck the loose ball inside the box into the goal.
“It was bouncing around the box, and I just happened to put my foot on it,” Patterson said. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”
More than two dozen players got into the game with nine of them taking multiple shots. UNC finished with 26 shot attempts, including 11 on goal, while BYU had six total attempts.
“For BYU to travel out here to play us was fantastic,” Dorrance said. “They wanted to see where they needed some work and we wanted to see where we needed some work. In the first half, even though we were up 1-0, I didn’t think we were in control of the game. I think in the second half we wore them down and gained control. They’re a tough team, their kids fight, their kids can play, and I give them full credit.
“We knew with the effectiveness of our recruiting, we were going to have two starting lineups and tonight we played three,” Dorrance said. “This is a talented team and a deep team, and it’s got a nice range of seniority and youth.”
Carolina will open the regular season on Thursday, Aug. 18, against No. 11 Tennessee at 7 p.m. at Dorrance Field. The game will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are on sale at goheels.com, starting at $64 for general admission and $80 for reserved seating. Special rates are available for UNC faculty and staff members who wish to purchase reserved seats by contacting the UNC Athletics Ticket Office. Season ticket holders receive access to the McCaskill Building to get an up-close view of Carolina Soccer’s historic excellence and achievements and will also be invited to join host Freddie Kiger as he speaks to legendary head coach Anson Dorrance on this year’s team, previous seasons, and his journey leading Carolina Soccer.