No. 8 Hokie Women Fall to No. 18 UNC

No. 18 North Carolina gives No. 8 Hokies first lost of season, 3-1

Meier finds the lone goal for Tech

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 8 Virginia Tech women’s soccer team took its first loss of the season at No. 18 North Carolina, 3-1, at Fetzer Field Thursday night. North Carolina capitalized on the few Tech errors as three different Tar Heels found the back of the net, while freshman Ashley Meier connected on the lone goal for the Hokies.  

Tech fell to 9-1-0 on the season and 1-1-0 in conference play, while the Tar Heels improved to 5-2-2 and 1-1-1 in the ACC.

In a very physical first half, the Hokies came out trying to set the tone early as they took the first two shots of the game. But on the first corner kick of the half taken by North Carolina’s Amber Brooks, found the back of the net early by Maria Lubrano.

Brooks’ corner was flicked by a Tar Heel attacker and Lubrano was able to make it past Hokie goal keeper Dayle Colpitts at the 7:50 mark. This was the first goal on the Hokies in six-straight games.

Five minutes later, a Tech defender fouled a Tar Heel in its own box to give North Carolina a penalty kick that was taken by Brooks about 10 yards out. The shot found the upper far corner to make it a 2-0 ball game.

The Tar Heels continued attacking and at the 34:13 mark Alyssa Rich notched the third goal of the game. A North Carolina shot was deflected to Rich and she finished in the lower right corner to go up 3-0.

Tech turned around and responded quickly when Anne Lumpkin took a free kick about 30 yards out. The ball found its way into the box and Katie DeTuro flicked it to Meier for the finish. And the two teams went into the half with the Tar Heels up 3-1.

It took a while to get the Hokies started in the second period. Tech took its first shot of the game at the 63:07 mark, as Meier took a header but went wide right. About four minutes later, Shannon Mayrose tried to find the back of the net in the 67th minute and just missed the far post.

The last chance for Tech to find a goal was in the 87th minute when Lumpkin took a corner kick. She sent a high ball in the box that Ashley Manning got a piece of, but a Tar Heel defender flushed it out to earn the team save.

The Hokies out shot North Carolina, 15-12, and took a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Mayrose led the Hokies with four shots and two on goal, while Jodie Zelenky and Meier followed with three shots apiece.

Colpitts recorded her first loss of the season as she fell 4-1-0, while Adelaide Gay took the win and improved to 4-1-0.

The Hokies return to Blacksburg with another tough conference game Sunday against No. 4 Boston College at 1 p.m.