Arizona Soccer (2-2-1) may not have come out on top, but the Wildcats put up a valiant effort in front of a record crowd of 1,753 at home against No. 9 UNC. The UA was able to hold the 23-time national champion blue blood scoreless in the first half and used a late goal from junior forward Jessica Bedolla to never let the Tar Heels get comfy in the game.
After the game, head coach Becca Moros made sure to give the record crowd their flowers for the competitive atmosphere all night long.
“It’s the second really big crowd for us early in the season, and you know, the stadium without the people in it – you might not realize, but once the people come in, it rocks in here. So I think they did an amazing job.”
The box score doesn’t quite indicate just how close the match was. UNC had the advantage in shots (19-9), shots on goal (9-5), fouls (8-14), and corners (5-3). But junior goalkeeper Sofia Cortes-Browne was the X-factor for Arizona. In her first full 90-minute match of the season, Cortes-Browne helped fend off 10 first-half shots by the Tar Heels. She recorded fives saves through the first 45 minutes, including a pair of saves in the 25th minute and another in the 30th on a UNC free kick. None was bigger than her save in the 41st minute when she denied Scottie Antonucci’s penalty kick attempt.
“I think I felt it a little bit,” said Cortes-Browne postgame. I knew it was going to the right. And I think just with the support of my teammates, it felt so good to make that save. Keep us in it early on. I think it definitely changed a little bit of the momentum. I felt a lot of support from everyone to help us keep going.”
After the game, Moros called it Cortes-Browne’s “best game she’s had.”
“I think it’s the best game she’s had. She was very calm. She set her feet well, which tends to be – like she’s super athletic, so she gets moving so fast, and then she has to resettle down to be able to make a save. And I thought she looked very calm and in control. Came out really brave, held balls really well. I’m sure she and the goalkeeper coach will find details that she could do better and hopefully push her game forward. But you know, I thought she showcased herself very well and was clean across the board, which is big time.”
North Carolina was able to get on the board first early in the second half with a goal in 49th minute on a penalty kick from Summer Denigan, giving the Tar Heels a 1-0 advantage. Arizona had a good look at a goal on a free kick in the 53rd minute, but couldn’t convert, before the UNC lead ballooned to 2-0 with a goal from Bella Devey in the 76th minute, shortly following a yellow card on the Tar Heel’s Caitlin Mara.
But the Wildcats didn’t stop fighting. Arizona’s responded with a goal in the 80th minute, as Lainey Swanson set up Jessica Bedolla to cut into the lead 2-1. Despite the fight, the UA couldn’t find an equalizer in the final 10 minutes of the match.
“That goal was coming, like one way or another, and so it did,” said Bedolla after the match. “We were looking for the second one, and unfortunately, it didn’t happen. But, I’m not surprised we scored that. I knew we were scoring today.”
Arizona returns to the pitch on Sunday, September 6, at 1:00 PM for a match against Dartmouth.