Three second-half goals powered UNC to a 5-2 win against Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Louisville Thursday afternoon. The win was Carolina’s second against the Blue Devils in the last six days.

Dani Mendez, who scored the game-winning overtime goal against Duke in the regular-season finale on Halloween night, opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game and gave Carolina a 1-0 lead. Duke answered less than two minutes later, but All-ACC first team honoree Ryleigh Heck restored the Tar Heel advantage later in the first quarter with her 17th goal of the season on a deflection in front of the Blue Devil cage.

Mendez was back to her scoring ways early in the third quarter, pushing the UNC lead to 3-1 with her 12th goal of the year. Charly Bruder added on later in the period, and the game went to the fourth quarter with Carolina leading 4-2 after a late Duke goal.

In the fourth quarter, UNC limited the Blue Devils to just one shot on goal as the Tar Heels held on to the two-goal edge. With the game already won in the final minutes, Sanne Hak scored one more Carolina goal for good measure and sealing the 5-2 final. The five goals are UNC’s most scored in an ACC game since September 21, when the Tar Heels scored eight against Stanford.

Carolina will face either No. 2 seed Virginia or No. 6 seed Syracuse in the ACC Tournament final Friday in Louisville. The Tar Heels are seeking their ninth consecutive ACC championship and 28th overall.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Field Hockey Beats Virginia to Win 9th Consecutive ACC Tournament Title
Dani Mendez scored two goals to haunt her former team and lead UNC to a 4-1 win against Virginia in the ACC Tournament title game in Louisville Friday. The win is Carolina’s ninth straight conference championship and 28th overall. It’s also the 300th ACC title overall for UNC programs. 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
UNC Baseball Falls to Georgia Tech in ACC Championship Game
No. 1 seed Georgia Tech scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in the ACC Championship Game Sunday in Charlotte, beating the Diamond Heels 13-6. Carolina scored first and held a 1-0 lead entering the second inning thanks to an Owen Hull RBI single, but […]
UNC Baseball Throttles Pitt to Advance to ACC Tournament Championship
The Diamond Heels banged out 22 total hits and hit a season-high six home runs in a 13-5 win against Pitt in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Saturday afternoon. UNC, the No. 2 seed in the field, will face No. 1 seed Georgia Tech in the championship game Sunday. 𝗛𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 💥 […]
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 Men's Lacrosse Beats Syracuse, Will Face Virginia in ACC Championship
UNC fought back from multiple deficits Friday night against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte and finished strong to defeat the Orange 12-10. 🗣️HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/BOPH3HoE0G — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) May 2, 2026 A low-scoring first quarter ended with the two teams tied 1-1, but Syracuse opened up a […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 1 UNC beat rival Duke for the second time in less than a week Wednesday at the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte, dispatching the Blue Devils 15-11 to advance to Friday’s semifinal round. Movin’ On ⏩ The Heels take care of the Devils for the second time in a week to advance to the […]
Clemson Outlasts UNC Men's Basketball in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 5 seed Clemson made No. 4 UNC’s stay in Charlotte a short one, beating the Tar Heels 80-79 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night. The Tigers were playing their second game in two days, while the game was Carolina’s first at the tournament. UNC led by six points early at 14-8, but Clemson […]
UNC Men's Basketball in the 2026 ACC Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
The 2026 ACC Tournament will take place in Charlotte this week. UNC received a double bye into Thursday’s quarterfinal round as the No. 4 seed in the field. The Tar Heels are seeking their first tournament title since 2016. If you aren’t following the team to Charlotte, here’s how you can follow along at home: […]
UNC Basketball in the AP Poll: Women Up to No. 15, Men Down to No. 19
Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams made moves in the most recent AP Polls, which were released Monday. The women’s team moved up one spot to No. 15, while the men’s team slipped two spots to No. 19. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels dropped after splitting their final two games of […]
›