By David Blanar
TSC Staff
Nov. 26, 1995
Yes, the final result was no surprise Saturday in the NCAA Women's Soccer
Tournament Quarterfinal match between 7th-ranked Santa Clara and nine-time
defending champion University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels came away
with a 2-0 victory and, as expected, led in every statistical category.
However, the scrappy Bronco squad Ñ which finished the season with a 16-4-2
record Ñ made the game closer than the final indicates, at times outplaying
the Tar Heels and matching up physically all day. North Carolina will next
face Notre Dame.
The win improves Carolina's record to 25-0 this year and ties the NCAA
record for wins in a season. UNC was 25-0 in 1992 and 25-1-1 a year ago. The
victory is the Tar Heels' 31st consecutive NCAA Tournament win and lifts its
all time NCAA Tournament record to 42-1 overal, 28-0 in Chapel Hill.
Tar Heel sophomore forward Robin Confer scored her 19th goal of the season
8:03 into the match. Freshman forward Cindy Parlow was pulled to the ground
40 yards out of the Bronco goal and the resulting free kick gave Confer a
clear shot to the goal. Confer's blast hit the cross bar over the leaping
Bronco goalkeeper, Christina Sanchez, who then fell the the turf. The ball
caromed straight down to earth, bounced of Sanchez's hip and rolled quietly
into the net for a freak goal for the game winner.
Sanchez made two outstanding saves later in the game to keep the match
close. She stopped a point-blank shot from the right wing by Tar Heel Sarah
Dacey with 8:20 left in the first half and a hard shot by Parlow midway
through the second period.
With just over 18 minutes to play in the game, Parlow slipped past the
Bronco defense on the left wing and crossed a pass to the right side.
Sanchez was unable to stop the cross and DAvey had an open net but shot the
ball over the cross bar from 15 yards away.
Carolina, which outshot the Broncos 11-1 in the first half and 16-2 for the
game, finally gat an insurance goal with 15:41 to play. Tar Heel freshman
reserve Rakel Karvelsson found teammate Beth Sheppard unmarked in the
penalty area and Sheppard slotted a shot past Sanchez into the lower right
corner of the goal.
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