CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The Gators made history in 2012, advancing to their first-ever Final Four.
But the 2013 team already found a way to one-up last year’s squad: it left Chapel Hill with a win.
No. 3 Florida (1-0) came from behind and scored five unanswered goals to defeat No. 5 North Carolina 5-3 on Saturday at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The win was the first for the Gators in the program’s four-year history against the Tar Heels.
Florida lost its season opener at UNC in 2011 10-9 in overtime and 11-9 last season.
“It’s amazing,” senior midfielder Brittany Dashiell said. “The past three years we’ve lost to them and just to finally beat them, it felt like an incredible accomplishment and a great start to our season this year.”
The Tar Heels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 8 minutes of the game thanks to a goal by junior Taylor George and two from Abbey Friend, who scored a hat trick against the Gators in 2012.
Coach Amanda O’Leary called a timeout after the Tar Heels’ third goal, and North Carolina didn’t score from that point on.
She credited goalkeeper Mikey Meagher — who saved nine of 12 shots on goal — for keeping the Gators in the game as the offense struggled to find its footing.
“She was phenomenal,” O’Leary said.
“Mikey tends to deliver every single time we ask her to come up big, and she certainly came up huge today. They were point-blank shots (on the) saves she was making.”
The game also marked the first time UF has ever won after trailing at halftime.
Midway through Saturday’s contest, Florida trailed 3-1 with its only goal coming on a Kitty Cullen free-position shot.
Dashiell pulled the Gators within one point of the lead 5 minutes into the second half. Fellow senior Ashley Bruns tied the game in the 42nd minute and attacker Gabi Wiegand scored the go-ahead and final goals.
North Carolina managed just five shots in the second half. Meagher credited the defense as a whole for the second-half shutout.
“We communicated well,” Meagher said.
“We played for each other, which I thought was the most important part. We never stopped talking to one another.”
The Gators have an easy five-game stretch before they play Syracuse in Miami in a rematch of last season’s national semifinal.
Losing to UNC didn’t hamper UF moving forward last season, as the Gators went on to win their next four games. Still, Dashiell said the win, which was Florida’s first one against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, will serve as a confidence booster.
“It’ll keep us motivated, (and) just help us mentally believe that we can do it,” Dashiell said. “We can beat any team out there. I think we got the jitters out in this game, and we’ll be ready for Jacksonville on Wednesday.”
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Senior Brittany Dashiell (22) runs after the ball during Florida’s 18-13 exhibition win against England on Jan. 24 at Dizney Stadium. Dashiell became the first Gator to record 200 career draw controls on Saturday.
