UNC -Duke women’s soccer ends in scoreless tie
North Carolina’s non-revenue teams were undefeated this weekend, including the women’s soccer team’s draw against Duke on Friday. Here’s a recap from the weekend.
Field hockey: After dropping its season opener to Michigan, North Carolina turned in a much better performance this weekend, going 2-0 against No. 15 Princeton and Penn. On the road against Princeton Friday, the Tar Heels escaped 2-1 after surviving another penalty corner with no time on the clock. On Sunday, UNC beat Penn 6-2 win with two goals by senior Kristy Bernatchez.
Bernatchez, a senior back, leads the team with three goals this season. The former midfielder made the transition to defense her sophomore season and has thrived there. She’s the only UNC field hockey player from the state of Maine, where she holds the high school record for goals in a season with 47. While not on the attack as often, she’s proven deadly on the chances she gets.
Men’s soccer: Though UNC’s match Friday against N.C. State was postponed due to Hurricane Hermine, the Tar Heels took on Virginia Commonwealth on Monday, beating the Rams 3-2. UNC, the No. 2 team in the nation, was pushed by VCU, battling to a 2-2 tie in the first half. But last year’s leading scorer, Tucker Hume, broke through in the second half with his second goal of the game in the 82nd minute.
Tucker’s twin brother Walker also scored in the first half off of a header. The two Humes are each 6-foot-5 and huge scoring threats, but this is the first season they will play together. Walker played two seasons ago, scoring four goals, while his brother redshirted. The next year when Tucker was healthy, Walker missed the season after breaking his foot in the preseason while Tucker led the team with 11 goals. So far this season, the twins have four of UNC’s nine goals heading into a match Friday at No. 3 Clemson to open ACC play.
Women’s soccer: Though only one spot separated No. 8 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke in the women’s soccer rankings, the talent gap between the two teams appeared much wider when they played to a scoreless draw on Friday. Duke held the Tar Heels without a shot in the first half, but thanks to a career-high 11 saves by UNC keeper Lindsey Harris, UNC held on for the 0-0 tie. Even though both teams are in the ACC, the game went down as a non-conference tilt and will be the only regular-season meeting between the teams.
UNC’s struggles continued through the first half against Villanova on Sunday. The Tar Heels didn’t score until the second half before their young team broke through with two goals. UNC’s freshmen have played well, but as the competition ramps up, so will the pressure. The team travels this week to the West Coast to take on UCLA and USC — both tough opponents, and ACC play will ratchet up the intensity even more.
Volleyball: After a big 3-1 win at Duke on Thursday, North Carolina volleyball notched its 1,000th win on Saturday against TCU. The Tar Heels are 5-0 heading into huge home games against No. 2 Wisconsin on Friday and No. 5 Minnesota Saturday.
Though the 11th-ranked Tar Heels are young, their confidence is soaring right now. Freshman Julia Scoles has picked up right where she left off in high school, recording 31 kills over the weekend, including a career-high 17 against Duke. Fellow freshmen Sydnye Fields and Taylor Borup have also excelled, helping the Tar Heels rank third nationally in blocks per set.
Coach Joe Sagula said confidence is the biggest difference between this season’s team and last. The 2015 team began the season 1-4 despite having All-ACC players Paige Neuenfeldt and Victoria McPherson.
“There’s a lot to be learned from winning and losing, but last year, to lose much more than winning creates doubt and creates some tension and creates some uncertainty of how we’re going to play,” Sagula said. “This year we’re on the right track.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 1:36 PM with the headline "UNC -Duke women’s soccer ends in scoreless tie."