Bruins Don’t Go Quietly Against Perennial Favorite

For one brief moment Sunday, UCLA shook the college soccer world.

It was the 54th minute when Lindsay Greco could have etched her name into Bruin lore. Greco, only a freshman, scored a goal that put heavy favorite North Carolina on the ropes and sent the Bruins into delirium.

But the Tar Heels weren’t interested in history being made at their expense. They shook off the shock of the moment and went into champion mode, scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to win their 16th NCAA title with a 2-1 victory in the Women’s College Cup championship match at Spartan Stadium.

North Carolina (21-3-0) won on an own goal in the 83rd minute, only the second in the 19-year history of the Final Four. And instead of Greco being remembered as the one who slayed a giant, it will be junior defender Krista Boling’s name that will come up as the unwilling participant in the game-winner.

Boling was standing between two Tar Heels, Leslie Gaston and Kelli Kamholz when a ball served to the goal by Catherine Reddick glanced off Boling’s leg and past UCLA goalie CiCi Peterson. UCLA Coach Jillian Ellis vigorously defended Boling afterward.

“I’ll describe it,” Ellis said. “Ball came in there. Ball hits her calf, goes in the back of the net, goalkeeper scrambles to try to save it.

“[Krista] has carried us the entire year. She’s our captain, she’s a leader, that’s just the luck of the draw.”

In a span of seven minutes, the match turned completely around for Boling and the Bruins (19-4-1), who were thriving on their first appearance in the championship match. In the 76th minute, the 5-foot-3 Boling got shielded in the box by North Carolina’s 5-8 forward Alyssa Ramsey on a cross by Danielle Borgman, allowing Meredith Florance a clear shot at beating Peterson for her 26th goal of the season.

“She was clearly the dominant finishing personality in Division I this year,” North Carolina Coach Anson Dorrance said of Florance. “Meredith is one of the great goal scorers I’ve ever coached.”

Ellis couldn’t find fault with her defense. The unit allowed only 10 goals all season.

“They make good runs in the box,” she said. “They’re very dynamic in the box. We talked about marking tight, but we were under tremendous pressure.”

To add to the unfortunate ending, Boling and her sister, Breana, were playing in front of hometown fans as the 9,566 in attendance began to root for an upset.

“It’s tough that it had to be her,” Ellis said of her first-team All-Pacific 10 defender. “[Krista] has given so much this year and I’m so proud of her.”

Moves made by Dorrance paid big dividends. Reddick started for the first time this season as he moved Borgman, who normally shifts between the back line and the wing during matches, up front.

Both figured in the goals while also making things difficult for UCLA’s arsenal of quick forwards. North Carolina outshot the Bruins, 14-3, and had a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks.

“I just had a gut feeling that Catherine was ready,” Dorrance said.

Dorrance called it one of the toughest championship runs for the Tar Heels. They were a No. 5 seed--the lowest in their history--and had to come from behind to beat Notre Dame in the semifinals.