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	1	2	F
(5) Virginia Tech (11-2-0)	0	2	2
(8) North Carolina (7-2-1)	2	1	3
Fetzer Field - 570 Box Score

BLACKSBURG - The fifth-ranked Virginia Tech women’s soccer team was unable to comeback from a 3-0 deficit to No. 8 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon, falling 3-2 in an action packed ACC battle.

“Part of our game plan and keys to the match was to keep ourselves out of trouble early,” head coach Chugger Adair said. “We talked about getting out of the chute in the first twenty, absorbing their pressure and letting the game settle in, but we didn’t do it.”

The Hokies (11-2-0, 2-2-0 ACC) entered tonight’s game looking for their third ACC win after beating Duke, 2-0, last Sunday. The Tar Heels (7-2-1, 4-0-0 ACC), however, had another plans for the visiting Hokies.

Only three minutes after kickoff, North Carolina struck early on a finish from Megan Buckingham on a cross from Summer Green. Green received a pass on the wing and sent the ball to the middle of the box where Buckingham was there to put UNC up 1-0.

The Hokies nearly responded five minutes later, but a header from Murielle Tiernan off of a corner sailed just over the goal. Numerous attacking opportunities gave both teams quality chances throughout the first half, as Carolina continually counter attacked every lost possession of the Hokies, and Tech kept the pressure on the Tar Heel defense with threatening runs to the forwards and outside midfielders.

In the 43rd minute, Carolina struck again when Sarah Ashley Firstenberg headed in a goal from six yards out off of a cross from Danae O’Halloran. The late first half goal put the Tar Heels up 2-0 going into the break.

When the second half began, the Tar Heels were once again quick to score. After Tech goalie Caroline Kelly came out of the goal to make a diving stop, Tar Heel forward Amber Munerlyn dribbled to the side and passed to the middle to find Joanna Boyles who finished her third goal of the year to put Tech into a 3-0 deficit.

There was no quit in the Hokies, however, after going down by three goals. Only one minute later, Candace Cephers scored a head goal after a corner from Katie Yensen was jumbled in the air in front of the goal to bring the score to 3-1.

Only ten minutes later, Tech scored again to cut the Carolina lead to one when Hokies’ midfielder Ashley Meier sent a pass to Tiernan, who took a strong turn around her defender and fired a shot to the left side of the goal to make it 3-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.

In a twenty minute span from the time Carolina scored their third goal, the Hokies fired eight shots, scoring two goals and nearly connecting on many.

The comeback effort from Tech fell short as the Hokies returned home still winless against North Carolina on the road. The game marked only the second time in two years when the Hokies have given up three goals. The last time was last year’s loss to Florida State in the NCAA College Cup, where the Hokies fell 3-2.

Next on the schedule for the Hokies is a trip to Florida to play Miami on Thursday night and Florida State on Sunday.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WSoccer