Third-ranked North Carolina (9-1) won its seventh consecutive game on Saturday over the plucky #19 Virginia Tech Hokies. Carolina, so defensively dominant over the last month, was strongly tested by a Hokie team that were the better side for much of the game in Durham.
Carolina drew first blood in the 21st minute on a goal by senior striker Nils Bruenig. Bruenig’s goal game courtesy of a fabulous play by Jelani Pieters, who broke free in the box courtesy of a strong pivot move to beat his defender and slid a pass across the face of goal to Bruenig, who tapped it in while being undercut by a Hokie defender.