In a matchup of Top 5 teams, the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils sent the No. 2 Tar Heels to their first defeat of the season Friday night, a 1-0 loss in Chapel Hill.

Tess Boade’s goal in the 59th minute proved to be the difference on the night, as the Devils made six saves to stave off any UNC comeback attempts. Carolina outshot Duke on the night, 15-9, but couldn’t find a way through Blue Devils keeper Ruthie Jones.

This is the first time head coach Anson Dorrance’s team has been shut out all season. The attack clearly missed the presence of freshman forward Emily Murphy, who is tied for the team lead in goals and leads the team in points. Murphy injured her ankle in practice earlier in the week, and there is no timetable for her return.

The loss is UNC’s first in an ACC regular season game since 2016. The Tar Heels had a 38-0-3 mark in that time span. They drop to 7-1 and 0-1 in conference, while Duke stays undefeated at 7-0.

Despite the loss, UNC fans packed the house at Dorrance Field. The sellout crowd of 5,301 is the fourth-largest home crowd in the history of UNC’s women’s soccer program.

Up next for Carolina is a home game against Virginia Tech, to be played September 23 at 7 p.m.

 

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 Picked 5th in ACC; Bella Devey Named Preseason All-ACC
UNC has been picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s preseason women’s soccer poll, which was released Monday. The Tar Heels were one of five teams to receive at least one first-place vote. Notre Dame sits in first place in the poll with seven of 17 first-place votes, while No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Duke […]
UNC Women's Soccer Releases 2026 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC women’s soccer program released its schedule for the 2026 regular season Monday, which includes matches across seven states and two countries. Mark your calendars, the 2026 schedule is here 👏 Ticket information coming soon!#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/D0FR4zWhkb — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) July 20, 2026 UNC begins with a preseason exhibition against South Carolina at […]
UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Venue Christened Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium
Dorrance Field, the home venue for the UNC soccer and lacrosse programs, has expanded its name to Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium. The expanded name comes in recognition of a gift from Kathleen Welsh and Gary Loveman, parents of two former UNC women’s soccer players. UNC describes Play2Dream as “a private family foundation” founded […]
UNC Women’s Soccer Recruit Maddie DiMaria Named National Player of the Year
Maddie DiMaria, who will join the UNC women’s soccer program as a true freshman this coming fall, has been named the 2025-26 Gatorade National Player of the Year in Girls’ Soccer. This is the second time DiMaria has won the honor; she also took it home for the 2023-24 season. Playing at Cor Jesu Academy […]
Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says
Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]
UNC Women's Soccer to Play Exhibition Match August 28 in Ireland
More than one UNC football team will be making the journey to Ireland this August. The UNC women’s soccer team will play an exhibition match against Shelbourne FC Friday, August 28 in Dublin, the day before the Tar Heel football team faces TCU in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Luck of the Heels […]
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 […]
›