A pair of second half goals from Summer Denigan and Bella Devey helped UNC beat Arizona 2-1 in Tucson Thursday night.

The two teams went into halftime tied at 0-0 despite UNC controlling most of the chances. The Tar Heels outshot the Wildcats 10-2 in the opening 45 minutes, though Carolina keeper Peyton Trayer had to make two saves to preserve the scoreless draw.

It didn’t take long for the Tar Heels to strike in the second half, as Carolina earned a penalty in the 49th minute. Denigan stepped to the spot and converted to give UNC a 1-0 lead. It was Denigan’s fourth consecutive match with a goal — or fifth, when counting Carolina’s exhibition win against Shelbourne FC in Dublin last week. Devey doubled the lead in the 76th minute, getting her foot on a loose ball in the penalty area and bouncing it into the back of the net.

That insurance goal proved critical, as Arizona got one back just four minutes later to cut the UNC lead to 2-1. That would be as close as the Wildcats would get, though, as Arizona wouldn’t create another shot on target in the match’s final 11 minutes. Overall, UNC outshot Arizona 19-5 and held a 9-5 edge in shots on target.

Carolina is now 4-1 on the season and 2-0 away from Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels will stay in Arizona through the weekend to visit Arizona State in Tempe Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

 

Featured image via UNC-Chapel Hill

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