Tessa Dellarose scored from point-blank range in the 90th minute to finally break a scoreless tie and give Carolina a 1-0 win against Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Dorrance Field on Friday night. The Tar Heels will face No. 6 seed Minnesota in the round of 16 on Sunday.
The winner had been a long time coming, as Carolina sent 15 shots toward the Santa Clara net in the second half after the two teams each had four in the second half. Among UNC’s wasted chances were multiple deflections off the post or crossbar, including a point-blank opportunity from Kate Faasse which strayed too high. Faasse also missed everything on an open header as part of a frustrating first 89 minutes.
On the defensive side, Carolina keeper Clare Gagne kept Santa Clara scoreless in the first half by stopping a penalty kick in the 34th minute. It was one of three saves for Gagne as she kept her second clean sheet of the tournament.
Carolina’s winning moment came with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation. Olivia Thomas fired a shot which was saved by the Bronco keeper, only for Faasse to challenge for the rebound. Faasse and several Santa Clara defenders converged on the ball in front of the goal mouth, but it somehow fell to the trailing Dellarose, who finished off the chance.
The win advances Carolina to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 for the third straight season. The Tar Heels are now 18-5 overall entering Sunday’s match with Minnesota, which defeated No. 3 seed South Carolina at Dorrance Field earlier in the day. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Soccer on Twitter
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