No. 4 overall seed Saint Joseph’s snapped No. 1 Carolina’s 27-game winning streak and ended the Tar Heels’ bid for a third straight national championship on Friday with a 2-1 upset win in the national semifinals in Ann Arbor, MI.
Despite being outshot 6-0 in the first quarter, the Hawks got on the board first midway through the second quarter. After taking that 1-0 lead into halftime, Saint Joseph’s doubled the advantage early in the third quarter. It was the first time UNC had trailed at any point this season.
Charly Bruder got the Tar Heels back in it in the final seconds of the third, scoring off a penalty corner to cut the Saint Joseph’s lead to 2-1. Carolina mounted a furious offensive attack in the fourth quarter, sending six shots toward the Hawk cage and taking three penalty corners, but could not find an equalizer. Saint Joseph’s goalie Marith Bijkerk made nine saves.
The loss is UNC’s first in NCAA Tournament play since the 2021 season. It also snaps a streak of five straight wins in the national semifinal round for the Tar Heels. Carolina ends the season at 20-1, while Saint Joseph’s will take on the winner of No. 2 Northwestern and unseeded UMass in the championship on Sunday.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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