TEMPE– No. 9 North Carolina (5-1-0) held strong defensively throughout a hot Sunday morning match against Arizona State (4-1-2), securing a 1-0 victory.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams struggling to get much going offensively in the early minutes. North Carolina had the first strong attack around the 15-minute mark, but stellar defense from freshman Mya Angus would deny the Tar Heels a chance to score early.

The Sun Devils’ strong defense was a main theme in the game.

“We want to be physical; we want to match the physicality. I think the girls did a wonderful job matching that,” ASU head coach Graham Winkworth said.

Just a few minutes later, UNC found themselves back on the attack and would get a great opportunity on a header from senior forward Lillah Blum, but her attempt would go wide and keep the game scoreless.

Sun Devils’ senior midfielder Ella Kettles won a physical defensive duel in the box, before another stop by Angus to prevent the Tar Heels attack.

The first shot on goal came in the 24th minute. A bunch of ASU defenders and UNC forwards were broken up by a fastball toward the net, but Sun Devils’ sophomore keeper Kennedy Zorn was right there to make the save.

Just two minutes later, the Sun Devils faced more pressure with a UNC corner kick, but the home defense stood tall once more and cleared the ball.

The game’s first yellow was assessed shortly after when North Carolina’s Ashley Pennie went for the ball but missed and hit ASU’s Sierra Bergen.

In the 33rd minute, the Tar Heels got their big break. Freshman Scottie Antonucci drew a foul inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Midfielder Summer Denigan stepped up and buried the penalty shot in the top right corner, a few feet over the hand of the diving Zorn.

Denigan’s shot gave the Tar Heels the first lead of the game, one that lasted through the rest of the first half.

The Sun Devils got a chance in the waning minutes of the opening half, but Kettle’s shot from the right of the top of the box soared just over the crossbar and sent the teams to the locker rooms with UNC ahead one to nothing.

After coming out of the locker rooms for the second half, ASU was quick to control the early minutes of play.

Freshman Amy Medley fired a shot on goal just three minutes into the half, but her attempt was unsuccessful.

The Tar Heels made a strong push around the 50th minute, but a fantastic slide tackle from ASU’s Natalie Drotzmann put a stop to that attack.

For the next several minutes, the Sun Devils kept making pushes offensively, but the Tar Heels continued to nullify the pressure and keep the shots limited.

In the 70th minute, the Tar Heels took a corner and shot towards the goal, but the ball sailed just high of the net and out of play.

Another UNC corner came soon after, but Zorn slapped the ball away and kept her net free.

A yellow was given to ASU in the 79th minute, but it proved to be little harm; however, it started to make it feel like it may be too late for a rally.

The Sun Devils continued to apply pressure but wouldn’t get a good look. Fantastic defense from the Tar Heels stuffed any potential shot and kept the chances limited.

One last push came up short, and the buzzer sounded, marking the first loss of the season for the Sun Devils and a big win for the ninth-ranked Tar Heels.

Coach Winkworth knew holding one of the nation’s top teams to just one goal and four shots is an impressive feat, saying, “I think they had four total shots and one of them was a penalty kick, so really proud of the efforts defensively.”

Sun Devils’ midfielder Peyton Marcisz knew battling such a talented Tar Heels team was a hard task, but remained positive despite the loss.

“We had them for a good amount; we had them on their toe,” Marcisz said.

Marcisz emphasized the lesson she wants the team to take away from the game, saying that adversity is good and was something that the team needed to experience.

After dropping their first game of the season, the Sun Devils will be back in action on Friday, September 11, when they host Grambling State for senior night, looking to bounce back in a big way.