UNC, Dorrance Get Win #700

When a coach picks up his/her 100th coaching win it is usually considered to be a career milestone.

Win No. 700 is an epic achievement.

The UNC Tar Heels gave the women’s program, and their head coach, victory number 700 with a 7-2 thumping of the University of Tennessee.

As difficult 700 wins might be to comprehend, the number of losses over the 32-year history of the UNC women’s soccer program, is even more challenging.

The Tar Heels have lost only 36 games in more than three decades. There have been 23 ties.

Seven different players scored, including the top six goalscorers, against the Lady Vols. That’s the way the scoring has gone as UNC has gotten off to a 4-0-1 start this fall.

The Tar Heels have scored 21 goals, with 10 different players finding the back of the net. The Tar Heels have yet to have a player record a two-goal game.

Sophomore Amber Brooks, who has three goals all in different games, scored one against UT. Kealia Ohai, a freshman forward from Draper, Utah, leads the UNC scoring with four goals.

The Tar Heels broke out on top early, scoring three goals in a 10-minute span. By halftime, it was 5-0.

“Honestly, we didn’t work very hard this past week, and as a result, I think the players were incredibly fresh,” said Dorrance. “I think what you saw in the first 15 minutes was just a very fresh forward line, a very fresh midfield.

For the game, UNC outshot Tennessee 26-6.

The 700th win came on alumni weekend for the UNC women’s soccer program. The game with the Vols had been scheduled on that weekend specifically so one of its alums, UT head coach Angela Kelly, could be on hand for the festivities.

No doubt Kelly enjoyed seeing old friends and teammates, but as far as the game went, she’s probably just as soon the Tar Heels would schedule someone else for alumni weekend games.

The #1 ranked Tar Heels opened the season at Texas A&M, site of their 2009 NCAA D-I College Cup national champion, with 3-0 wins over the host Aggies and Michigan State.

The tie was a 2-2 deadlock with #2 ranked Stanford in the Carolina Nike Classic, after which UNC rebounded with a 6-1 win over Missouri.