On what is set to be a brisk day in Cary, North Carolina, the University of North Carolina and the University of California, Los Angeles face off for the final of the 41st edition of the NCAA Division I Championship.
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What’s at Stake?
On the line? The title of National Champion. For UNC, it would be the programs 22nd title. For UCLA, it would be only the second in their history. Both teams though are fighting for the first program title of their current roster’s careers. While they’ve made many strong runs in the tournament, UCLA’s only current College Cup win came in 2013 when the roster contained familiar names like Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper, Caprice Dydasco, Taylor Smith, and Katelyn Rowland. UNC finds themselves in a similar situation, fighting for their first title since 2012 when players like Crystal Dunn, Amber Brooks, and Paige Nielsen were on the field.
While both teams have potentially bright futures ahead of them with their younger players, they also both have a group of influential seniors and graduate students who are facing what is likely the final game of their collegiate careers. The desire to end on win will certainly play a factor in how these teams play.
Category Is: Gamechangers
Despite their different conferences, the 2022 UCLA roster is certainly no stranger to the fields of North Carolina. When the Bruins visited in September, they were successful in their campaign against both UNC and the Duke University Blue Devils with double 2-1 wins. In both of those wins, it was junior forward Reilyn Turner who came up big to score both game winners. The US Youth National player has 0.594 shots on goal percentage on the season with 38 shots on goal over 22 games. This presence, combined with the threat of sophomore left back Quincy McMahon, creates a viable threat to the Tar Heels backline as the clinical defender plays well to the dangerous speed of Turner. McMahon herself has the envious ability to both drop a ball in right into the stride of her teammates and to also find space to speed in and score goals of her own.
On the Tar Heel side of things, we’d be remiss not to talk about the shift of forward turned apparent wingback Avery Patterson. Despite the defensive duties being asked of her in UNC’s newer 3-5-2 formation, the junior utility player and Tar Heel’s leading goal scorer is sure to cause problems with her attacking prowess regardless of position. If Patterson isn’t enough to shake things up? The Tar Heels have a history of getting their center backs forward to feed into the fray. While the Bruin midfield may prove more difficult to dissect, senior center back Julia Dorsey is no stranger to taking advantage of being left unmarked to take space and push up. Should the Bruins get caught up dealing with trickery from the likes of Patterson, that push from Dorsey could prove to play a key piece of the Tar Heel attack.
Breaking Down and Breaking Through
A hallmark of this UCLA team is communication and disciplined defending. With the Bruins looking to break down what will almost certainly be an aggressive attacking press, it will be crucial for them to rely on this. For the Tar Heels, the team will need to look to bring in support out wide to let their three-back play to the best of its ability and shut down that UCLA midfield after what Head Coach Margueritte Aozasa called a “statement win” for the Bruins against Alabama last Friday night.