Trailing by two goals with under ten minutes remaining, it looked like the No. 4 UNC women’s soccer team was about to lose its second straight game at home. Defensive errors had allowed the visiting Virginia Tech Hokies to take a 2-0 lead on the Tar Heels. The second Virginia Tech goal in the 80th minute appeared to be the nail in Carolina’s coffin.
That’s when UNC assistant coach Damon Nahas drew up a new formation for the Tar Heels, hoping to spark an offense that had outshot Virginia Tech by a healthy margin but hadn’t put a dent in the scoreboard.
What followed were two goals in the span of 2:40 to even up the game and send the crowd at Dorrance Field into a frenzy. Sophomore forward Avery Patterson scored the first with 8:30 remaining on a beautiful cross from teammate Rachel Jones, sending her shot just over the outstretched fingertips of Hokies goalkeeper Alia Skinner.
Minutes later, a corner kick from Paige Tolentino found the head of Maycee Bell, who deflected it straight to freshman forward Emily Colton. All Colton had to do was flick out her boot, and she’d scored a point-blank equalizer. The Tar Heels had erased their first multiple-goal home deficit since 2013 in the blink of an eye.
The goal was Colton’s fifth on the season, putting her into first place on the team. It was also just one of her six shots on goal throughout the evening.
“Colton was absolutely magnificent,” head coach Anson Dorrance said after the game. “That was a U.S. full national team performance. If that’s the way she is going to play, then she is going to compete for the United States full team in the Olympics and World Cups. That’s how well she played today.”
Carolina kept the pressure on into sudden death overtime, outshooting Virginia Tech 7-2, but couldn’t find a game-winning goal. The Hokies almost stole the game back when Virginia Tech’s Emily Gray turned a loose ball from six yards out straight at goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, but the former ACC Defensive Player of the Week stood tall to keep the match going.
Both Bell and Colton had scoring opportunities in the final six minutes of overtime, but neither found the back of the net. The match ended in a 2-2 tie, despite a 32-10 shot disparity in favor of Carolina. Skinner made a career-high 14 saves on 16 UNC shots on goal.
The result moved the No. 4 Tar Heels to 7-1-1 on the season, but they are still searching for their first ACC win after losing to Duke last weekend. UNC is currently 0-1-1 in conference play. They’ll try to improve upon that record Sunday afternoon when Clemson visits Dorrance Field.
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
‹

Strong 2nd Half Not Enough as UNC Women's Soccer Falls at No. 2 Notre DameFreshman Lauren Malsom recorded a brace with two goals at No. 2 Notre Dame Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to help UNC dig out of an early deficit and the Tar Heels fell 4-3. It’s the team’s second consecutive loss. Malsom’s first goal came in the 39th minute, by which time the Tar Heels […]

UNC Women's Soccer Falls to No. 7 Florida State in Chapel HillA second-half goal helped No. 7 Florida State beat UNC 1-0 at Dorrance Field Wednesday night. The loss is Carolina’s first at home this season and snaps a 10-match home winning streak which dates back to the 2024 season. The Seminoles controlled much of the possession in the first half, outshooting the Tar Heels 7-3 […]

Late Goal Helps UNC Women's Soccer Win ACC Opener at Virginia TechOlivia Thomas scored a tiebreaking goal in the 87th minute to help UNC escape with a 2-1 victory at Virginia Tech in the ACC opener Thursday night in Blacksburg. Gritty win to open ACC play💪#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/K3bgsVDPNh — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 12, 2025 Thomas’ strike capped off a late flurry of scoring […]

UNC Women's Soccer Shuts Out James Madison, Earns 1st Road Win of 2025Olivia Thomas scored two more goals to earn her second brace in the last three matches as Carolina beat James Madison 3-0 on the road Sunday afternoon. It’s Carolina’s first road win of the season and fifth straight win overall. Successful business trip🤝#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/I1aNERMWke — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 7, 2025 Thomas’ […]

UNC Women's Soccer Routs Alabama to Win 4th Straight MatchKate Faasse scored a pair of second-half goals to help Carolina cruise past visiting Alabama 4-0 at Dorrance Field Thursday night. Big 𝙒 at Dorrance🙌#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/l9crTdTfPl — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 5, 2025 Faasse’s two goals came in addition to an assist on UNC’s first goal of the night, a close-range shot […]

Thomas' 2 Goals Help UNC Women's Soccer Beat Wisconsin-MilwaukeeOlivia Thomas scored two goals and Kate Faasse added another as Carolina won its third straight match Sunday afternoon, beating visiting Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4-1 at Dorrance Field. Sundays are for Tar Heel dubs😏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/fODdfDKGSi — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August 31, 2025 Thomas corralled a loose ball in the box and flicked it into […]

UNC Soccer: Men's and Women's Teams Each Pick Up Home ShutoutsBoth the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were in action Thursday at Dorrance Field, and both teams came away with shutout victories. In the first match of the doubleheader, the women’s team throttled UNC-Greensboro 4-0, scoring two goals apiece in the first and second halves. Freshman Bella Devey opened the scoring in the 19th […]

UNC Soccer: Women Dominate Rice, Men Beat SeattleCarolina had no trouble with visiting Rice at Dorrance Field Sunday afternoon, shutting out the Owls 4-0 and dominating in every facet of the match. Dubs at Dorrance >>>#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/rnEv9ilZJo — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August 24, 2025 Olivia Thomas opened the scoring in the 10th minute, spinning past her defender and firing […]

UNC Soccer: Men Win Opener vs. UCF, Women Lose at GeorgiaThe UNC men’s soccer team opened its 2025 campaign with a resounding 3-1 win against visiting UCF Thursday night at Dorrance Field. Off to a good start 📈#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/w6ygWPovus — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) August 22, 2025 Carolina ended up winning comfortably despite giving up the night’s opening goal. UCF’s Lilian Ricol struck […]

UNC Women's Soccer Trounces Siena in 2025 Home OpenerUNC bounced back from its opening-night loss at Tennessee by throttling visiting Siena in the home opener at Dorrance Field Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels scored four second-half goals on their way to a 5-0 win. First 𝙒 of the season🤩#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/EUy8ofu349 — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August 17, 2025 Bella Gaetino opened […]
›