No. 8 Arkansas falls at No. 4 North Carolina

The eighth-ranked Razorbacks (3-1-1) dropped their first match of the season, 3-1, at No. 4 North Carolina (4-0-2) on Sunday.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The eighth-ranked Razorbacks (3-1-1) dropped their first match of the season, 3-1, at No. 4 North Carolina (4-0-2) on Sunday.

First Half

Arkansas struck first in the 22^nd minute on forward Anna Podojil’s first goal of the season. Podojil fired from outside the 18-yard box after she picked up the ball in the midfield and broke away from a Tar Heel defender. The right-footed shot was deflected up by UNC goalkeeper Emmie Allen but the ball managed to bounce past the goal line.

Anna Bangerjil pic.twitter.com/pgT8GvRFlP

— Razorback Soccer (@RazorbackSoccer) September 3, 2023

The goal was Podojil’s 46^th of her career, which leads NCAA Division I.

North Carolina forward Mia Oliaro tied the match in the 41^st minute, scoring from outside the penalty box.

Second Half

The Tar Heels netted two more goals in the last 25 minutes of the match. Forward Ally Sentor scored the first, the game-winner, from the top of the penalty box in the 66^th minute. The Tar Heels put the game away in the 82^nd minute when forward Avery Patterson slipped one to the far post to give North Carolina a two-goal lead.

The Hogs gave up a season-high 17 shots, but only allowed one corner kick while taking seven.

“We aren’t a silver lining team, and we will take a lot from that,” head coach Colby Hale said. “We did what we do and for long portions of the game, we were equal if not better. We went after them at their place. Corners were 7-1 us. Championship teams embrace doing difficult things and we will always go for it. We’re never happy with a loss and that is an important step for this team’s goals. We will grow as we take on the next challenge!”

Next Up

The Hogs will stay on the East Coast and face No. 11 Clemson (3-0-1) on Thursday, September 7 at 6 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

For more information on Arkansas Soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.