Illini soccer falls to UNC in NCAA 2nd round
By: Aaron Bennett
Updated: November 16, 2012
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (UI Release) - In
a second round tournament game that featured former player vs coach, it
was Anson Dorrance's Tarheels that emerged victorious over Janet
Rayfield's Illini by a score of 9-2.
Illinois got on the board first, but the Tarheels responded with seven
second half goals. The Illini conclude their season with an overall
record of 10-9-4.
"There's no doubt
that tonight the wheels fell off the wagon. I am the one who is tasked
with making sure the wagon is ready so I take responsibility," said
Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield. "We scored
early and soon after we started playing not to lose and there was way
too much time for that. We have some young players who learned some
great lessons tonight. We will move on and look to be back in this spot
better prepared next year. There was great moments
from this season that we will remember forever-tonight just won't be one
of them."
In the first
half, the Illini stunned the Chapel Hill crowd by striking fast and
early. Just 89 seconds into the game, Illinois stripped the Tarheels
from the ball in UNC's defensive third. DiBernardo then
dished to Breece who was sprinting down the left flank. After a couple
of dribbles got her into the box, Breece blasted a low lining shot into
the right corner from 15 yards out. The goal was Breece's fourth on the
year.
However, the tide
turned quickly against the Orange and Blue when North Carolina earned
the equalizer five minutes later off of their lone corner kick of the
period. Summer Green received the corner at
the top of the Illinois box, where she released a shot on goal. Panozzo
made the diving save but the ball deflected a few yards in front of her
where Kelly McFarlane was waiting.
Steph Panozzo
then contributed to the highlight reel in the 14th-minute when she made a
gravity defying save to her left off of a rocket from Crystal Dunn to
keep the score all-squared.
Yet, Crystal Dunn
and the Tarheels found the go-ahead goal in the 37th-minute. UNC's
Alyssa Rich dished a through ball down the middle-left side of the
field. Dunn outran an Illinois defender and beat Panozzo
to the ball in which she poked it to the near post for the 2-1 lead
heading into half-time.
The second period doomed the Illini's season as four goals were scored in the opening 15 minutes.
Niki Read made
sure to get on the scoreboard in her final game. The senior received the
ball inside the North Carolina box off of a flip throw-in from Megan
Pawloski in the 63rd-minute. Read struck the
ball into the far post for her fourth goal on the season and 14th in her
fine career.
UNC added three
more goals in the closing 15 minutes to reach the final score of 9-2.
The Tarheels outshot the Illini 26-5 and kept their streak alive of
advancing to the round of 16 for every year in the
tournament's existence.
Also to note,
leading scorer Vanessa DiBernardo got subbed out in the 29th-minute
after being injured and did not return to the game.
Illinois senior
goalkeeper Steph Panozzo finished with seven saves on the night, putting
her at 111 for the year, which ties Leisha Alcia for the most saves in a
single season.
