No. 2 Carolina Whips UNCG for Second Straight Shutout Win

Engen, Moraca and Smith score goals for Tar Heels as defense limits Spartans to three shots.

Sept. 12, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The second-ranked North Carolina women's soccer team used an early goal by sophomore striker Whitney Engen and a pair of second-half goals by reserve forwards to power past UNC Greensboro 3-0 Wednesday night before a crowd of 2,844.

The Tar Heels won their third match in a row to improve to 3-1 on the season while the Spartans fell to 3-2 with the loss.

UNC outshot the Spartans 12-3 and junior goalkeeper Anna Rodenbough, a Greensboro native, posted her first solo shutout of the season and the 17th of her career. The Tar Heels also shut out Yale last Sunday on a shared effort by Ashlyn Harris and Rodenbough. The Carolina defense, led by senior All-America Jessica Maxwell and sophomore Kristi Eveland, has limited opponents to only 13 shots in four games this season. Ariel Harris had to sit out Wednesday's game but Meghan Klingenberg filled in admirably at the right back spot.

UNC head coach Anson Dorrance got to play his bench extensively for the first time this season as the Tar Heels used 23 players in the game.

Engen opened the scoring at 8:39 of the match, her first goal of the season. It ended up being the game-winning goal as well. Engen ripped a shot into the top right corner of the net from the top of the key for her 13th career goal.

Unlike last year's game in Chapel Hill when UNC eked out a 1-0 win over the Spartans behind a late second-half goal by Sterling Smith, this time the Tar Heels were able to pad their lead to three goals midway through the second half.

In the 64th minute of play, junior midfielder Allie Long clanged a shot off the top of the cross bar in her effort for a third goal in the past two games. Junior midfielder Yael Averbuch gathered in the ball off the bounce and fed Mandy Moraca for a goal at 63:56. It was Moraca's second career goal. The first came on October 2, 2005 in a 4-0 win at Maryland.

Less than five minutes later, the Heels extended the lead to 3-0 on Sterling Smith's second goal of the season and seventh of her career. The sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. struck a ball straight on from the top of the arc that found the back of the Spartan net at 68:12 of the match.

Carolina has little time to rest on the laurels of its Wednesday night victory as the Heels play Friday and Sunday in the VCU/Ewing Sports Invitational in Richmond, Va. The Heels are at VCU Friday night at 7 p.m. and then they go up against William & Mary Sunday at 3 p.m. in a second match played at VCU as part of the VCU/Ewing Sports Invitational. The VCU Rams are coached by former Tar Heel All-America midfielder Tiffany Roberts.