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JEFFREY A. CAMARATI
Women's Soccer

Overtime Setback

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A first-half goal from freshman Andrea Kitahata handed No. 10 Stanford a 1-0 lead at the break, but No. 2 North Carolina (6-0-0) scored once in the second half, and found the net in overtime, to record a 2-1 victory over the Cardinal (3-2-0) from Dorrance Field on Sunday afternoon.

The overtime match was the first of the year for the Cardinal, while North Carolina improves to 2-0-0 in extra time after defeating Arkansas on August 22.

"I am proud of how hard the team fought, but disappointed in the final result," The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe said. "We will regroup and continue to improve."

With the match level at 1-1 through 90 minutes, North Carolina earned a corner kick in the 96th minute – its seventh of the match. Stanford was unable to clear the line as the ball ping-ponged around in the 6-yard box before eventually being scored by Maycee Bell.

Kitahata got the Cardinal on the board in the 12th minute of the match, receiving a pass from junior Maya Doms and touching the ball on goal before slipping a shot past the slide of UNC keeper Claudia Dickey. The goal was Kitahata's third of the season.

North Carolina, which managed four shots in the first half, came out with an increased intensity in the second - managing 11 shots in the period.

Emily Murphy managed the equalizer for the Tar Heels in the 50th minute, punching home a rebound on an initial shot from Emily Moxley that was saved by Katie Meyer.

Meyer finished the match with five saves, including managing three in the second half. Dickey was forced into just one save over the 96 minutes in goal for the Tar Heels, handling a second-half shot off the foot of Abby Greubel.

Stanford will return home this week, hosting San Francisco and LMU on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. The match with the Dons is set to kick off at 7 p.m.