UNC Women’s Soccer ties No. 10 Penn State in season opener

The UNC Women’s Soccer team opened their 2023-2024 season with a 0-0 draw against #10 Penn State on the road in Happy Valley. 

In their first regular season game of the 2023 season, the UNC women’s soccer program drew a tie with No. 10 ranked Penn State  The reigning Big Ten champions struggled to get shots against the No. 2 ranked Tar Heels’ defense as they shot a total of five shots, but three of those were on goal. North Carolina did not have a problem getting shots off as they had 19 the entire match but only managed to get two of those on goal.

First Half

North Carolina owned the majority of ball possession during the first half as they fired off 10 total shots, one shot on goal, and three corner kicks but ultimately could not record a goal in the first 45 minutes. The Tar Heels had plenty of shots during the half but just struggled to get those shots on goal.

Midfielder Emily Colton highlighted many opportunities for the Tar Heels that just could not hit the back of the net in the first half. Colton fell just inches short of breaking the scoreless draw in the 30th minute as she shot just left of the Penn State goalkeeper and goalpost. North Carolina goalkeeper Emmie Allen shut down the only two shots, both were shots on goal, that were fired her way in the first half.

Second Half

The UNC women’s soccer team started the second half right where they left off in the first half, as far as efficiency goes. The defensive pressure by UNC seemed to bother the Nittany Lions, especially during the second half, as they struggled to complete passes and had many turnovers. The Tar Heels still struggled to get shots on goal, despite getting a total of eight shots off this half.

Defender/midfielder Emily Moxley fired off a shot on goal in the 49th minute but was stopped by the diving Penn State goalkeeper. Penn State came close to scoring in the 63rd minute, but goalkeeper Emmie Allen made a remarkable save getting a finger on it, redirecting the shot off the top crossbar.

Just a few minutes later, Allen came out of the goal in the 65th minute to take possession away from a threatening Penn State attacker to keep the game scoreless. Freshman defender Savy King executed an amazing tackle in the 80th minute to stop a Penn State attacker that was on a fast break. The game entered a weather delay due to lightning in the area at 8:50 PM EST with 9:21 left on the clock and did not resume play until 9:28 PM EST.

Immediately after the game restarted, Penn State came out firing as defender Maycee Bell forced a very important takeaway on the attacking Penn State offense. Penn State then had a corner kick at the 82nd mark, but goalkeeper Emmie Allen made a great save to deny the goal. Penn State had two more opportunities to score on corner kicks, but the Tar Heel defense held strong.

Results

The defensive presence was prominent for both teams in this top-ten matchup as neither team managed to get the ball in the net. The Tar Heels finished the game with 19 shots, while Penn State only managed to get five shots off.

Despite having noticeably fewer shots, the Nittany Lions recorded three shots on goal as the Tar Heels had a measly two shots on goal.

Forward Ally Sentnor led the team with five shots, as freshman Melina Rebimbas tallied four in her first collegiate game. Goalkeeper Emmie Allen shined in the season debut as she had three saves and made many game-saving decisions, ultimately helping the game end in a draw.

The UNC Women’s Soccer team will be back in action Sunday, August 20th as they host non-conference opponent California. This matchup will begin at 1:00 PM EST at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

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