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, Carolina’s Linda Ullmark finally broke the deadlock with a rocket in the 58th minute to give the Tar Heels the lead.

Texas Tech answered in less than three minutes, scoring with only its second shot on target of the match. The Red Raiders threatened again just 52 seconds later, forcing UNC goalkeeper Hannah Johann into her second save of the night.

Carolina managed only one shot on goal for the remainder of regulation, and the match went into sudden-victory overtime. The Tar Heels saw several scoring chances across the two 10-minute periods, sending three shots toward the Texas Tech net. The Red Raiders challenged Johann again in the 109th minute, but the UNC goalkeeper stood strong again to keep the match even at 1-1.

Johann came up large once again in the ensuing penalty shootout, stopping Texas Tech’s first penalty after Kate Faasse had scored on Carolina’s opening kick. With the shootout sitting at 3-2 in favor of UNC after three rounds, the Tar Heels’ first mistake came when Ullmark’s penalty was saved. Texas Tech made its next kick, knotting the shootout at 3-3 heading into the fifth and final round. Olivia Thomas calmly netted hers for UNC, giving the Tar Heels what in essence was match point on Texas Tech’s next penalty. Johann didn’t need to save it this time, as the penalty sailed over the crossbar and ended the shootout. UNC had won 4-3.

With the win, UNC has now advanced to at least the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons. Up next, the Tar Heels will face No. 2 seed TCU, which hosted UNC’s game vs. Texas Tech in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 7 seed Memphis in their second-round matchup. Kickoff in the Round of 16 is set for Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern time. For a full look at the NCAA Tournament bracket, click here.

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