In less than four minutes, Andi Melde accomplished what no other player in the Atlantic Coast Conference had done all year-score against North Carolina.
But neither Melde's shocking early goal nor a brilliant performance from freshman goalkeeper Isis Dallis was enough to stop the No. 1 Tar Heels (18-0-1, 6-0 in the ACC) Thursday night at Duke Soccer Stadium. Carolina, which has never lost at Duke, overcame its sluggish start and Dallis' eight saves for a 3-2 win.
Lorrie Fair and Cindy Parlow each headed in a goal in a two-minute span midway through the second half to break a 1-1 tie and send UNC to its fifteenth win in sixteen tries against the Blue Devils (14-3, 5-1). Samantha Baggett brought Duke within one when she headed in a Melde free kick with 29:25 to play, but the eleventh-ranked Blue Devils never found an equalizer.
Carolina kept the pressure on until the final whistle, outshooting Duke by a 24-3 margin. But Dallis' show-stopping performance in net kept things from getting ugly for the Blue Devils. Afterward, the rookie was the center of attention.
"I've never seen a performance like that in goal from a freshman in my life," UNC coach Anson Dorrance said. "I see that she's on the ballot for ACC Rookie of the Year, and she's certainly getting my vote. That was an absolutely brilliant performance."
Dallis was everywhere: scooping up loose balls, leaping to snare high crosses, even stopping a couple of shots from point-blank range. With the score tied 1-1 just before halftime, Fair chipped a shot that hit off the crossbar and landed at the foot of UNC's Raven McDonald. McDonald appeared to have an easy tap-in for a goal, but Dallis swooped in at the last moment to make an acrobatic save, and preserved the 1-1 score.
"She was awesome," UNC forward Robin Confer said, "She kept them in the game with some huge saves. It frustrated us a little bit; we would have good scoring chances, and she'd come flying out of nowhere to make a save. She played incredible tonight."
But Dallis' efforts appeared to delay the inevitable. Carolina was typically sharp on set plays, scoring all three goals off corner kicks. UNC held the clear possession advantage, frequently holding the ball in the attack zone for minutes on end.
The Tar Heels won for the 12th straight time. A 2-2 tie against Notre Dame on Sept. 19 is the only blemish on an otherwise sterling record-and the only match in the last 36 that the Heels have not won.
With the win, UNC clinched the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils dropped to second place in the conference, with a final home game Sunday against Wake Forest.
"Emotionally, we were right on for 90 minutes," Duke coach Bill Hempen said. "Defensively we were great. I don't want to say it's the best we've ever played. I hate saying that. But it's certainly one of the best efforts this particular group of players has put together."
This particular group included a surprise starter, senior defender Andrea Evers. Evers had seen action in just three games this year, and had never started a game in her career. But Hempen gave Evers the nod Thursday, matching her up with Parlow, an All-American and 1996 National Player of the Year.
Evers was up to the task, marking the 5-foot-11 Parlow physically for nearly 90 minutes, and holding her ground against the nation's premier striker. Parlow did score-off a header-but couldn't beat Evers off the dribble all night.
"Andrea hasn't ever gotten a chance," Hempen said. "Knowing they were going to play three forwards, I didn't want to waste [midfielder Kristy] Whelchel in the back. So we said, 'Dre, this is it for you. You wanted your chance, here it is.'"
Duke came out fast with Melde's goal, a left-footed blast from 25 yards out. But the quick strike seemed to wake up the slumbering Tar Heels.
"They came in much better prepared then we were to play," Dorrance said. "They had an incredible passion the first 15 minutes."
After Melde's goal, Carolina immediately went on the offensive, and Duke would not get another shot until Baggett's goal late in the second half. The Tar Heels scored the equalizer with 26:53 to play in the first when Staci Wilson chipped a shot over a crowd into the top left corner of the Blue Devil net. The goal came after Dallis saved Laurie Schwoy's header off the corner kick.
Dallis was modest in appraising her performance.
"The best game [I've ever played]? I don't know," she said. "I think I played OK. I did what I had to do. But we can't really be satisfied; we still lost the game."
Melde was a bit more excited about Dallis' performance.
"Isis was awesome; it's hard to believe she's a freshman," Melde said. "She saved us tonight."
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