NC State Defeats #7 UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The NC State women’s soccer team knocked off No. 7 North Carolina 1-0 in Chapel Hill for its sixth win in a row and its fourth consecutive shutout.

Kia Rankin scored the only goal of the match after Paige Griffiths’ pass opened up the UNC defense. Rankin ran onto the through ball and hit it past the UNC keeper for the goal in the 67th minute.

The Wolfpack defense came up big, holding off a pressing North Carolina attack. Goalkeeper Sydney Wootten came up with a season-high eight saves from 12 North Carolina shots.

NC State moves to 7-2-0 with the win, while UNC falls to 5-2-1 with the loss. The Pack’s six straight wins are the most since the 2008 squad won seven in a row, and the Pack’s four straight shutouts are the most since the 2006 tallied four shutouts in a row to open the season.

The Victory:

The historic victory marks the Wolfpack’s biggest win over a ranked opponent since it took down the No. 1 Tar Heels in 2002. The victory is NC State’s second career win over UNC and first since 2002. It’s also the first ever win for the Wolfpack at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels rarely lose at home, today’s victory marked the 27th loss the Heels have ever suffered at home.

Full 90:

Seven Wolfpackers played the full 90 minutes in the shut-out victory and 13 players saw time on the field.

Match Recap:

Both teams struggled offensively in early stretches of the match. The two teams limited each other in the attack and entered halftime knotted at 0-0 with three shots each.

Following halftime, NC State picked up its offensive pressure and threatened the Tar Heels early in the second half. The decisive goal came after UNC turned over the ball in midfield. Griffiths dribbled through the Tar Heel defense before slotting it to Rankin who kicked it past the keeper and into the back of the net. The goal is Rankin’s third of the season and third in two matches.

NC State held strong the final 24 minutes withstanding several North Carolina attacks. In addition to keeping the Heels off the scoresheet, the Wolfpack defense protected its area well and limited the home side to several difficult shots outside of the box.

Up Next:

NC State will look for its seventh straight win, as it returns home to face No. 20 Notre Dame Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.