Freshman Sofia Ferri scored in the fifth and final round of a penalty shootout to help UNC beat No. 2 Princeton 1-0 at Karen Shelton Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The two teams had played to a scoreless draw after four quarters and one sudden-death overtime period, necessitating the first penalty shootout for the Tar Heels since the 2023 national championship game against Northwestern, a game also played at Karen Shelton Stadium. The Tigers had controlled most of the chances during open play, outshooting Carolina 15-9 overall and 6-3 in shots on target. Princeton also took eight penalty corners to UNC’s two. But Tar Heel goalie Merritt Skubisz stopped five Tiger shots, with back Morgan O’Donnell stepping in to stop the other early in the third quarter and preserve the scoreless tie.
In the penalty shootout, the Tar Heels took an early advantage after Coco Courtright and Reese Anetsberger scored their attempts and Skubisz stopped Princeton’s first three. UNC could have ended the shootout with a score in either of its next two attempts, but both Charly Bruder and Ella Barbacci came up emptyhanded. Meanwhile, Princeton converted its next two strokes to even the shootout at 2-2. That brought Ferri to the spot with the game on her stick. In the fifth and final round, Ferri moved to her left and then spun around the Tiger goalie to score the winning stroke.
With Sunday’s win, UNC is now 2-2 on the season after dropping its opening two games. The Tar Heels will be back in action Friday when they host Old Dominion at Karen Shelton Stadium at 5 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter
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