Huskers Fall Short in 3-0 Loss to No. 4 Tar Heels

Lincoln, Neb.--The Nebraska soccer team (3-2-0) dropped a hard-fought match to No. 4 North Carolina 3-0 in front of a sold-out Hibner Stadium crowd of 2,746 on Friday night.

The Huskers struggled to maintain possession of the ball throughout the first half, held to just two shots and one on goal.

North Carolina got things going in the 6th minute, as freshman Dorian Bailey put in the ball off a pass from Summer Green near the right edge of the field. The Tar Heels found a second opportunity at the 36-minute mark, when junior Emily Bruder tricked a defender and rebounded a shot off a blocked ball.

NU found a couple close encounters to try and get on the board. Junior Caroline Flynn hit a ball off the crossbar while redshirt freshman Lia Baldo attempted to net the ball off two rebounds from a corner kick, but the Huskers failed to convert. Nebraska trailed 2-0 heading into halftime.

The Big Red looked to find its footing in the second half, but couldn’t break through the Tar Heel defense. North Carolina sophomore Jessie Scarpa extended the lead further in the 62nd minute by tricking two defenders with an assist from senior Paige Nielson to finish the game 3-0.

Sophomore Erika Johnson made her fourth career start at goalkeeper for Nebraska, tallying three saves on the night.

The Huskers will look to rebound as they face Missouri on the road in an SEC-Big Ten matchup on Sunday, Sept. 13. Game time is set for 1:05 p.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network.