After 45 minutes at Dorrance Field, the No. 10 Stanford Cardinal looked primed to break No. 2 UNC’s five-game winning streak. The visitors held advantages in saves, fouls and most importantly, goals: 1-0 Stanford at halftime. But a concerted offensive effort from the Tar Heels in the second period brought Carolina back in force, sending the match to overtime. And with the match on the line, preseason All-ACC defender Maycee Bell sent everyone home happy.

The second period showed just how dominant head coach Anson Dorrance’s Tar Heels can be when clicking: they outshot the Cardinal 11-3 in the half, and took five corner kicks. Stanford took none.

Carolina wasted no time in search of an equalizer, as a classy bit of skill from freshman midfielder Emily Colton freed her up for a shot. Stanford keeper Katie Meyer parried Colton’s try, but sophomore forward Emily Moxley corralled the rebound, sending it across to freshman forward Emily Murphy, who deposited her third goal of the season to knot the score up at 1-1.

Carolina kept the chances coming, including a header in the box from Colton, but nearly gave up a potential match-winner in the final 10 minutes. After a defensive breakdown by the Tar Heels, Stanford’s Kellie Pagador found herself in a one-on-one with UNC keeper Claudia Dickey. Her eventual shot evaded the gloves of Dickey, but also evaded the back of the net, sailing high over the crossbar. Bullet dodged.

The Tar Heels made their first and only corner kick of sudden death overtime count, with junior defender Tori Hansen connecting on a header that caused pandemonium within Stanford’s six-yard box. Hansen nearly put home her own rebound, but Bell just barely beat her to the kick. Her boot had just enough power to send the ball through a host of Cardinal defenders and over the goal line. Bell earned credit for the goal, but it was a truly a team effort to fight off the spirited visitors from out west.

The win sends the Tar Heels to 6-0 on the season, with a weekend stay in the Sunshine State upcoming. Carolina will visit the Gators in Gainesville on Thursday, September 9 before going to Disney World to take on No. 18 UCF on Sunday, September 12. The trip down south will end UNC’s non-conference schedule, with a home matchup with No. 5 Duke on September 17 opening up ACC play.

 

Featured image via Carolina Athletics

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Soccer's Season Ends in Penalty Shootout in NCAA Tournament Round of 16
UNC couldn’t hold on to a 1-0 lead late in the second half Monday afternoon, and No. 2 seed TCU scored a 90th-minute equalizer before winning on a penalty shootout to end the Tar Heels’ season. Carolina had dominated possession for much of the match, holding decisive leads in both total shots and shots on […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats No. 6 Texas Tech in Penalty Shootout, Advances to NCAA Round of 16
Carolina went the distance vs. No. 6 seed Texas Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night, defeating the Red Raiders in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. After a scoreless first half in which UNC controlled much of the offensive possession and outshot Texas Tech 5-1, […]
UNC Women's Soccer Upsets No. 3 Tennessee in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
The national title defense for the UNC women’s soccer program will last at least a little longer. Kate Faasse scored a pair of goals to help the Tar Heels upset No. 3 seed Tennessee in Knoxville Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 3-1 win avenges a 2-0 UNC defeat at […]
UNC Women's Soccer to Face No. 3 Seed Tennessee in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
The Tar Heels are back in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, though not in the way many thought. Carolina earned at-large bid to the tournament field Monday afternoon and will play at No. 3 seed Tennessee in Knoxville in the tournament’s first round Friday. Let postseason begin… The Tar Heels will head to Knoxville this […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats NC State in Regular Season Finale, But Will Miss ACC Tournament
A goal from freshman Bella Devey in the 30th minute was all UNC needed to earn a 1-0 win against NC State in the regular-season finale at Dorrance Field Thursday night. The Tar Heels have won six of their last seven meetings with the Wolfpack. Senior night 𝙙𝙪𝙗#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/67ngEadxO6 — UNC Women's Soccer […]
UNC Sports: Men's Soccer Loses, Women's Soccer Wins, Volleyball Splits Weekend Homestand
It was a busy weekend of Olympic sports for UNC, with the men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams all in action. In men’s soccer, the Tar Heels fell at Syracuse Saturday afternoon after the Orange netted a goal in the 36th minute. Carolina pressed for an equalizer hard in the second half, totaling 13 […]
UNC Women's Soccer Loses at Miami on Late Goal
A Miami goal in the 77th minute broke a 1-1 tie and sent UNC to a 2-1 defeat Thursday night in Coral Gables. It’s Carolina’s second loss in its last three outings. The two teams played a scoreless first half, despite UNC holding a decisive 6-0 advantage in total shots. The Hurricane goalkeeper stopped both […]
UNC Women's Soccer Wins at SMU in First-Ever ACC Meeting
A pair of goals from sophomore defender Caitlin Mara helped UNC beat SMU 3-0 in Dallas Friday night. It was the first meeting between the two schools as ACC foes. Tamed the Mustangs😏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/CGbL4RLJRo — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) October 18, 2025 Mara’s two goals – her first two of the season and […]
UNC Sports: Volleyball, Field Hockey Win; Women's Soccer Falls at Duke
Plenty of UNC Olympic sports teams were in action Sunday, as the field hockey and volleyball teams picked up big wins while the women’s soccer team lost at Duke. In volleyball, the Tar Heels traveled down to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech and came away with their first win against the Yellow Jackets since 2017. […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Boston College to Snap Losing Streak
Two late goals from Kate Faasse broke a 1-1 tie and helped UNC beat Boston College 3-1 at Dorrance Field Thursday night. The win snapped a two-match losing streak for the Tar Heels. Bounced back👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/2fccJq1rCV — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) October 3, 2025 Carolina took a 1-0 lead thanks to a 39th-minute […]
›