In a battle of top-four teams, No. 2 Carolina held No. 4 Virginia without a single shot on goal Friday evening at Karen Shelton Stadium to earn a 4-0 win and stay unbeaten on the season.
Reigning National Player of the Year Ryleigh Heck opened the scoring late in the second quarter, pouncing on a mishandled Virginia pass and slotting home her 10th goal of the season.
Charly Bruder, the 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year, put together a hat trick in the second half to help the Tar Heels pull away. Bruder scored twice in the span of 5:05 in the third quarter, both via penalty corners, and added one more for good measure early in the fourth to seal the victory. Bruder’s 20 goals this season are the most on the team.
Carolina held a decisive edge in shots, ending the game with 10 to Virginia’s three. Six of UNC’s 10 shots were on target, while the Cavaliers didn’t force a single save out of Tar Heel goalie Abigail Taylor. Bruder singlehandedly accumulated twice as many total shots as Virginia.
The dominant win improves UNC to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in ACC play. Thanks to No. 9 Boston College’s loss to Duke on Friday, the Tar Heels are now the only unbeaten team in the ACC, sitting alone in first place. Carolina will try to stay atop the league standings when the Eagles visit Chapel Hill on Sunday at noon. It’s UNC’s final home game of the regular season.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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