Sept. 3, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Top-ranked North Carolina used a game-tying goal by Kim Patrick with 2:56 left in regulation and another goal by Meredith Florance with six minutes before a tie game to rally for 3-2 double-overtime win over seventh-ranked Notre Dame in front of 2,957 fans at Alumni Field in the second game of the KeyBank Soccer Classic. The Irish took a 2-1 lead into halftime and held off the Tar Heels for most of the second half in the first game under first-year head coach Randy Waldrum. The loss marks Notre Dame?s first season-opening loss since 1992, while North Carolina improves to 2-0-0 in 1999.

Duke blanked fourth-ranked Connecticut 2-0 in the first game of the day. The tournament concludes on Sunday, Sept. 5, with North Carolina and Connecticut squaring off at 11:00 a.m., followed by Duke and Notre Dame at 1:00 p.m.

North Carolina finished the 114-minute game with a 27-11 edge in shots and had 14 fouls to Notre Dame?s nine. Irish All-American goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene made a career-high 15 saves while Tar Heel freshman Jenni Branam had five saves. Notre Dame was whistled for 12 offsides to one for North Carolina.

The Tar Heels, making their second appearance at Notre Dame after a lightning-shortened 2-2 tie to the Irish in 1997, scored first when Anne Remy knocked in a loose ball in front of the net from a rebound from a Lindsay Stoecker shot at 24:24. The Irish quickly recovered to knot the game at 1-1 when Monica Gonzalez, playing in her game with the Irish after missing all of 1997 with an injury, connected on a cross from Jenny Heft. Anne Makinen found Heft with a pass who made a run down the right sideline where her cross found Gonzalez for the equalizer at 26:33.

After the Tar Heels? Lorrie Fair had a shot skim down off the crossbar and into Been?s hands, sophomore Mia Sarkesian scored her second career goal at 43:42 to give Notre Dame a 2-1 halftime lead. Sarkesian, who entered the game at 28:18 for Heft, collected a loose ball from 25 yards out on the left side. She fired a shot to the right side past Branam and the ball bounced off the right post and back into the middle of the net.

North Carolina outshot Notre Dame 9-4 in the first half and 11-5 in the second half but the Irish backline of Kara Brown, Kelly Lindsey, Nancy Mikacenic and Vanessa Pruzinsky kept the Tar Heels contained in the second half. North Carolina?s best scoring chances before the tying goal came at 84:40 when Rebekah McDowell?s shot hit the right post. Susan Bush then sailed an open shot from the rebound high over the net from 15 yards out.

Notre Dame?s best scoring chance in the second half came after a yellow card by Branam. Jen Grubb found Meotis Erikson a yard in front of the near post on the resulting free kick served just outside the box on the left endline but Erikson?s shot was saved on the line at 62:57. Heft then had another shot saved on the line at 82:27.

Florance?s tying goal came at 87:04 when she shot from 20 yards out on the right side. Beene had the shot lined up ready to make the save but the ball took an unnatural bounced off the natural turf and bounced over Been?s right shoulder into the net.

The Tar Heels had a 5-0 advantage in an uneventful first overtime period with play stalled in the midfield for most of the 15 minutes. Notre Dame?s best chance to score in overtime came in the second period when Grubb?s free kick from 40 yards out on the left side sailed to the far post before Branam made a diving save.

Florance?s game-winning goal came at the 114:00 mark when she volleyed a throw-in from Kalli Kamholz into the net on the right side from 12 yards.