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UNC midfielder Ella Barbacci and Coach Erin Matson after OT loss to ODU on Friday
Sep 11, 2026
UNC midfielder Ella Barbacci and Coach Erin Matson after OT loss to ODU on Friday
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0:01
Let's go to the positives. Take me
0:03
through your two goals.
0:05
>> Uh the first one I think we had a lot of
0:06
energy coming out of the gate and um
0:10
Reese got the ball. Um and I knew she
0:13
would [music] ultimately end up taking
0:16
the shot. She had it, but I came up
0:18
behind her just to make sure she had
0:19
another option. And uh she found me and
0:21
I put the goal away just to give the
0:25
team a one lead. Um, and then the second
0:27
one, we had an awesome connection up the
0:30
field. Um,
0:33
Reed had the ball, passed me, and I felt
0:35
confident enough to just slow the play
0:36
down um, and put it in the back of the
0:39
net, but ultimately none of it would
0:41
have happened if all the backs and the
0:44
mids didn't work hard to get all of it
0:46
out of the back field. So,
0:48
>> to talk about your your journey, you
0:50
didn't start any games.
0:52
>> Yeah. your first three seasons, you
0:54
started every game
0:55
>> and you've tripled your career goal
0:57
total today. How
0:59
>> take take me through that journey for
1:00
you.
1:00
>> Yeah, it's definitely very exciting. I
1:02
mean, Carolina is a place where you
1:04
always want to be and um
1:06
>> even if you're not on the field or
1:09
anything, you're always having an impact
1:11
for people around you. And I've always
1:13
just been so happy to help the other
1:16
people that were on the field. And
1:18
[music]
1:18
>> it's a special feeling when you finally
1:21
feel like you've accomplished a lot when
1:23
you get to step on that field. So, not
1:24
taking anything for granted. But when I
1:26
first got my first career start, [music]
1:29
um I was definitely was not going to
1:32
step down, but I was going to keep
1:33
pushing all the way. So,
1:36
>> what was working for you today having
1:38
those two goals?
1:39
>> Yeah, I think we talk a lot about
1:40
connection as the forwards and uh
1:42
forwards into the mids. dot I think all
1:46
around just we finally found that
1:48
connection and um obviously we put some
1:52
in the back of the cage now it's just
1:53
[music]
1:54
keeping it down here in our end and uh
1:57
not letting not letting up now
2:04
[music and singing]
2:08
>> um I think we are very good at coming
2:11
out very strong and I think now we just
2:13
have to play did a full 60 minutes um
2:16
[music]
2:16
and not have any letups, but I think we
2:19
had bits and pieces of it. I think now
2:21
it's just full bar to the end of the end
2:24
of the game.
2:26
>> What was the mindset like going into
2:27
overtime? What did the huddle sound like
2:29
before?
2:30
>> Um [music] it was definitely very
2:31
intense, but um we wanted to get an
2:34
outcome in the first two minutes. Um
2:37
it was definitely very stressful, but we
2:39
knew we could all count each other to
2:40
just get it down that end. whatever
2:42
happened at the end of it, we knew we
2:44
could try to just get a corner, anything
2:46
like that. Um, but I think now it's just
2:50
we have to value the ball and um just
2:54
keep it down our end instead of not
2:56
letting up. So,
2:58
>> what was the biggest issue with the
2:59
momentum shift in the fourth period? It
3:02
was just all on their end.
3:03
>> Um, we always talk about not getting
3:05
comfortable. We um don't want to be
3:08
satisfied. Um, so I think now it's just
3:10
when we hit that fourth quarter, we need
3:13
to keep going full boore instead of not
3:16
letting up. And I think that was an
3:18
issue today, but we can only come back
3:20
from it. This is a massive lesson that
3:22
we have and now we can only grow from
3:24
it.
3:26
>> Thanks, Ella.
3:27
>> Thank you guys. Good answers.
3:31
>> How do you explain the big momentum
3:33
shift? You were up three nothing in
3:35
control and particularly in the fourth
3:37
quarter. they just kind of took over.
3:39
>> Yeah. I think the only explanation is
3:42
they're young and our leadership is
3:45
still
3:47
people who are developing in their own
3:49
leadership and learning and growing and
3:51
bringing others along with them. And um
3:54
I think that's what you know the game
3:56
management the moments of that momentum
3:59
shifting is a mix of okay what did we do
4:02
to allow that to shift? but also the
4:04
veteran teams know, oh, it's slipping,
4:06
it's slipping. Here's how we regain it
4:08
quicker than others. And um, you know,
4:11
we're doing all we can to prepare them
4:13
for those moments. And, you know, at the
4:16
end of the day, I think some of it comes
4:17
down to living those experiences. So,
4:19
it's very hard. It's not easy and it's
4:21
not an excuse whatsoever. Um, but I
4:24
think that's the only way I'm making
4:26
sense of it.
4:27
>> And in all the corner, I mean, so many
4:29
corners and so many shots. I mean, merit
4:31
just was besieged.
4:32
>> Yeah.
4:33
>> Yeah. I mean, I don't know. You can't
4:34
expect more from your goalkeeper than
4:35
that at some point. Um, you know, we
4:38
give up 15 corners and that's an issue
4:39
in itself. Um, but also then the amount
4:43
of shots she had and particularly we
4:45
knew ODU and they played. I mean, credit
4:47
to them. They came out and they battled
4:49
and they never gave up and we gave them
4:51
an inch to breathe and they took
4:53
advantage of that and you know, props to
4:54
them. Um, but you know, there's only so
4:57
many shots your keeper can take and we
4:59
knew with ODU they were a second phase
5:01
team and when we say that that means
5:02
they get to the rebounds first. They put
5:04
goals away not on the first phase shot
5:06
but the second phase. Um, and you know
5:08
we trained that all week and it was in
5:10
our line goals in our pregame
5:11
presentation and we just didn't do our
5:13
job today in preventing those second
5:15
phase opportunities. So, I think I don't
5:17
know the exact numbers, but I know they
5:19
scored on two penalty corners. Um, and
5:22
the last one was a stroke, but then the
5:25
two before I know there was one second
5:26
phase one in there. I don't I can't
5:28
remember right off the top of my head.
5:29
Uh, but you know, limiting corners and
5:32
limiting second phase was a part of the
5:33
game plan and we just simply didn't
5:34
execute today.
5:37
>> This is your second straight overtime
5:39
game. What do you think your team is
5:40
learning from these experiences?
5:42
>> Yeah, I think overtime's interesting
5:43
this year. I know we chatted a little
5:44
bit about it so far. a lot of teams are
5:46
playing it. Um I I think it's all adding
5:50
to their experience with it and I think
5:52
everyone's a little bit different. Um it
5:54
depends on the opponent, it depends on
5:55
how long we go. It's it's a different
5:57
mentality, you know. Um it's not as
5:59
different as 77 because it's just an
6:01
extension of the 111 regulation, but um
6:04
you know, we definitely are, and that
6:06
was the message going into this. We're
6:07
definitely realizing like, hey, we're
6:08
getting experience with this early.
6:10
That's good for us and learning the
6:11
lessons there. Um but, you know, we need
6:13
to make it count. Did did feel like you
6:15
need needed to put it away when it was
6:17
up three nothing? It it also seems like
6:19
a pattern of giving up leads here early
6:21
in the season.
6:22
>> Um yeah, I um you know I I think for us
6:26
you you probably hear it after we score
6:28
every single goal. Um we say either two
6:30
minutes because they're sorry these
6:32
mosquitoes. Um there's psychology
6:34
between or behind the first two minutes
6:37
after opponents scored on. That's when
6:38
they're most vulnerable. So for us when
6:39
we get scored on we say it. when we
6:41
score on another team, we say it as a
6:43
reminder like look, we're not getting
6:44
satisfied. But the louder thing we yell
6:46
is 0 0. And that mentality is something
6:48
I played with. I, you know, we yelled 2
6:50
minutes when I played here, but we
6:52
started yelling 0 to each other and
6:53
getting each other's eyes and saying
6:54
that after we scored because it goes
6:56
back to that centering yourself on we're
6:59
not satisfied at all. We're going to
7:00
keep going. It's we have that 00
7:02
mentality. Um, and I think it's a good
7:06
opportunity now after this one. There's
7:07
a lot of things we're going to sit and
7:09
reflect on and that we ask them to sit
7:11
and reflect on, but are we matching our
7:12
actions with our words? Are we saying 00
7:14
just because Carolina says it? Um, are
7:17
we taking that to heart? Um, you know,
7:19
are we saying 2 minutes because we're
7:20
trying to capitalize on that
7:22
opportunity? Are we saying it because
7:23
we've always said it? Um, are we saying
7:25
in our line goals, you know, the uh
7:28
limit corners and second phase uh just
7:31
say it or because we're going to do it?
7:33
So, I think a lot of that there's a lot
7:34
of lessons in that. Um, and it goes back
7:38
to with this group, they know what to
7:39
do. We know what they need to do. We
7:41
know what we need to keep working on.
7:42
We're going to do reflection with it,
7:44
but at the end of the day, it comes down
7:45
to, are we going to actually do what
7:47
we're saying?
7:50
>> Well, Aaron, you mentioned you mentioned
7:52
how you said you're going to process
7:53
this after going back.
7:54
>> Yeah. So, after a game like this, what
7:57
do you do and how do you reflect after a
7:59
game like?
7:59
>> Uh, it's a great question. I literally I
8:01
go in I write out my little notes that
8:04
I'll do to close the tailgate out. Um we
8:06
have our Champions Club and Legacy Club
8:08
members here that are our biggest
8:09
supporters of our program. So um you
8:11
know we and we played for many reasons
8:13
today. um with it being 911 and and
8:16
everything and uh you know it'll I'll
8:18
take a moment and realize and you know
8:21
it's it's my job to
8:23
process that and stay positive but at
8:26
the same time stay realistic and
8:28
understand that it's our job at the end
8:30
of the day to come home with wins and um
8:32
are we doing everything in our power to
8:34
do that and I you know you guys know the
8:36
staff so well uh we're so passionate and
8:39
so just bought into this team and this
8:42
program and there's no question we're
8:44
doing all we can. Um, but you know,
8:46
maybe there's something out there that
8:47
we need to tweak or do differently. And
8:49
same from the team similar like this is
8:51
we're in this together. You know, it's
8:52
not a we're not doing our job and you
8:55
know, they're not or we are and they're
8:58
not. It's not that at all. It's more
8:59
just, hey, what's we need to we need to
9:01
reflect. And we had a guest speaker this
9:03
morning before the game um who served in
9:07
in the Army special operations units for
9:09
decades. And one of his messages was um
9:12
you know everything is centered around
9:14
improvement. Nothing's personal, not
9:16
that everything is direct because we
9:18
just want to get better. And it
9:19
resonates so well. And that's the
9:21
healthy competition. You see that here
9:22
the um you know going in after games and
9:25
feeling all the frustrations, but then
9:27
okay, what does that mean? What am I
9:28
going to do about it? Uh watching film
9:30
tomorrow and you know we our donors are
9:32
sitting in on the film session. We're
9:34
going to be real like we were last year
9:35
and they love it. They're like, "We want
9:37
to see the honesty in the program and
9:38
we'll have honest conversations with the
9:40
team and everything of just like look,
9:41
we need to get better." Um, but doing
9:45
that with belief and that trust um those
9:48
choices as the foundation and that love
9:50
of like, hey, we are here as a team
9:52
playing the team sport. So, um, I think
9:54
it's just going and reminding myself
9:56
that first and then walking out of the
9:57
office with that mentality to remind
9:59
everybody else that. Thanks, Aaron.
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