No matter how well the UNC women’s soccer team played during the regular season, there’s one thing it couldn’t do: beat archrival Duke.
North Carolina lost 1-0 at Duke back in September, then again on Halloween in the regular-season finale.
On Thursday night in the ACC Women’s Soccer Tournament semifinal, the Tar Heels finally enacted revenge.
After trailing 1-0 heading into halftime, UNC staged a second-half rally, scoring its second goal with under 10 minutes left for 2-1 victory over the top-ranked Blue Devils.
North Carolina (16-4) dealt Duke its first loss since August 15, when Duke lost 1-0 at Ohio State.
If you didn’t watch Thursday night, let us take you through the exciting comeback.
The Tar Heels allowed their lone goal of the game 28 minutes in, when Blue Devils defender Cameron Roller converted on a penalty kick. UNC goalkeeper Claire Gagne was solid otherwise, saving four shots.
When the second half started counting down, North Carolina started firing up.
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The Tar Heels‘ first goal looked extremely similar to Stanford’s goal in the men’s tournament. Not even five minutes into the second half, Linda Ullmark sent a long shot into the box, with the ball bouncing off Duke keeper Leah Freeman’s outstretched arms and rolling slowly into the net.
UNC only was able to earn three corner kicks against the Blue Devils’ tough defense, but made one of those pay off. With approximately 10 minutes left in the second half, North Carolina defender Trinity Armstrong scored her first goal of the season, pushing a header into the goal for a 2-1 advantage.
When the final seconds ticked off, the Tar Heels piled on goalie Claire Gagne.
North Carolina will try for its 23rd ACC Tournament Championship – and first since 2019 – at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10 when it faces Florida State.
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