Despite two second half goals, the UNC women’s soccer team couldn’t quite complete a comeback against top-seeded Florida State in the ACC Championship Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Seminoles (11-0-0) bested the Tar Heels (11-1-0) 3-2 behind three straight goals, doubling the amount of points Carolina had conceded the entire season. UNC surrendered the first goal just two minutes into the contest, when Florida State finished a corner kick with a header into the right side of the net past goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.

The Seminoles struck again to double their advantage four minutes later and carried a 2-0 lead into halftime before adding a third goal at the start of the second half.

Prior to Sunday’s title match, the North Carolina program had not given up multiple goals in a single match since November 29, 2019 against University of Southern California in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels fought back into the game thanks to a penalty kick goal from junior Rachel Jones in the 59th minute. The team’s second goal came with just seconds left, as junior midfielder Brianna Pinto scored her team-high sixth goal in the 89th minute.
 
But ultimately, UNC fell short of defending its tournament title, as Florida State held on for the victory. The Seminoles earned the program’s seventh ACC Championship, their first since beating the Tar Heels in the 2018 conference final.

Despite the defeat, Carolina finished its fall season as ACC Regular Season Co-Champions for the 24th time in program history.

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