Tag: Ally Sentnor

Tar Heels choke in second-half, lose 3-goal lead to BYU

The UNC women’s soccer team was up three goals and a half away from the College Cup. Any guesses what happened next to the Tar Heels?

Any time a soccer team scores three goals in a game, it’s pretty likely that team wins, right?

Particularly when those three goal come in the span of 20 minutes?

The UNC women’s soccer team is the one mentioned in the graph above, jumping out to a quick, 3-goal lead against top-ranked BYU (Brigham Young University). Ally Sentnor scored two of Carolina’s early goals, leading a lot to believe the women in light blue were heading back to the College Cup.

Not so fast.

UNC went into cruise control during the second half, allowing BYU to score four unanswered goals and advance to the College Cup with an improbable, 4-3 comeback victory.

The fact Carolina was up 3-0 – against the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament – was impressive in itself. UNC hadn’t scored three goals in a game since Friday, Nov. 10, when it downed Towson by a 3-1 mark in its tourney opener, while BYU hadn’t allowed three goals in a game since the Big 12 final against Texas (Nov. 4).

It was only a matter of time before the host Cougars got on the board, shooting eight times in the second half before scoring in the 61st minute. There was a 20-minute break in scoring, then BYU scored its second and the game-tying goal a minute apart.

The final dagger came just before the 90th-minute buzzer, with BYU’s Olivia Katoa sending a low-arching shot past UNC goalkeeper Emmie Allen.

For a team that didn’t lose once in the regular season, Carolina lost twice in its final five games.

First, its ACC Tournament opener against Pitt on Sunday, Oct. 29.

Then, the heartbreaking collapse that occurred in Utah last night.

Tar Heels taking on Cougars for spot in Women’s College Cup

The 3-seeded UNC and top-seeded BYU women’s soccer teams face off at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, Nov. 24 for a spot in the College Cup.

They’re THIS close to winning their first NCAA Championship since 2012, but they’ll have to go through this year’s top seed to do so.

Who is this mystery team?

None other than the UNC women’s soccer squad, who is one win away from making it back to the College Cup. The Tar Heels now prepare to face top-seeded BYU (Brigham Young University), with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff set from South Field in Provo, Utah (on BYU’s campus).

After easily dispatching Towson (3-1) in their first-round matchup, the Tar Heels have a pair of tight, 1-0 victories in the past two rounds. Carolina downed sixth-ranked Alabama in the Second Round on Friday, Nov. 17 at home, thanks to Ally Sentnor’s ninth goal of the year, then did the same to second-ranked Texas Tech on Sunday, Nov. 19, with Bella Sember playing hero in the 72nd minute.

The Cougars, who lost to UT-Austin in the Big 12 Championship game, avenged a regular-season loss at Utah State in their opening-round, NCAA Tournament matchup. BYU squeaked by 8-seeded USC, 1-0, in the second round, then comfortably defeated 5-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 18.

UNC will be trying to reach the College Cup for a second-straight year, while BYU will try for its first appearance since 2021, when it was the national runner-up.

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Late Seminoles goal spoils UNC comeback attempt

The top-ranked UNC women’s soccer nearly knocked off No. 3 Florida State on Sunday, Sept. 24. A late Seminoles goal forced a 3-3 tie.

The top-ranked UNC women’s soccer team was minutes away from knocking off a fellow ACC rival – third-ranked Florida State – on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill.

Kate Faasse put home a beautiful cross from Ally Sentnor in the 86th minute, sending the Dorrance Field crowd into a frenzy. The Tar Heels ran towards each other in celebration, knowing very well they had a job to finish.

Pressure was on FSU to score, but also UNC to hold its slim lead with minutes to go.

Unfortunately, with seconds to go, the Seminoles’ Mimi Van Zanten shot a deflected Emmie Allen save into the top portion of the net for a 3-3 tie.

The Tar Heels should be proud of their effort, considering they trailed until Maddie Dahlien’s 77th-minute goal. They went head-to-head with an FSU team expected to contend for the ACC crown once again.

Sentnor started the Carolina scoring in the 42nd minute, netting her team-high fifth goal off a save from Seminoles keeper Cristina Roque.

Next up for the Tar Heels is a rivalry matchup with N.C. State on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Wolfpack’s Dail Soccer Field. UNC downed their Raleigh rivals, 2-0, in Chapel Hill last year for its 400th home win.

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UNC women’s soccer team tabbed as preseason ACC favorites

The UNC women’s soccer team, who was 10 minutes away from winning their 22nd title last year, is picked as the 2023 ACC preseason favorite.

The University of North Carolina women’s soccer program is undoubtedly the country’s best.

UNC’s appeared in every NCAA tournament since 1982, when the NCAA started sponsoring women’s soccer. Despite not winning a title since 2012, the Heels’ 21 ranks most all-time.

The next closest? Stanford, Notre Dame and Florida State, all tied for three.

Carolina almost won another championship last year, as they had a 2-0 lead over UCLA heading into the 80th minute. The Bruins, with their backs against the wall, tied the game up with two quick ones. A winner in the second overtime prevented UNC from singing along to Taylor Swift with its 22nd title.

This trip to the title game, plus nine returning starters, was convincing enough for Carolina to be picked as the ACC’s preseason favorite.

Headlining the returners are preseason All-ACC players Maycee Bell, Sam Meza and 2022 10-goal scorer Ally Sentnor. Meza scored two goals and dished out four assists in 15 starts last year, while Bell was part of a defense that only allowed 20 goals.

She’s not on the preseason All-ACC team, but last year’s leading goal scorer Avery Patterson (13) returns to lead the offense. In goal? The Heels return a stud netminder in Emmie Allen, who won 19 matches and saved 70 shots.

Coaching North Carolina is Anson Dorrance, who’s been in Chapel Hill ever since the program’s inception in 1979.

Regardless of who UNC matches up against this season, opponents are in for a tough contest. Is this the year Carolina finally snaps its championship drought?

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