The UNC women’s soccer team took a thrilling win in the ACC Tournament semifinals Thursday night in Cary, defeating No. 5 seed Duke in an eight-round penalty shootout after a scoreless 120 minutes of play.
Though Carolina controlled play through regulation and extra time, they could not find a way past Duke goalkeeper Ruthie Jones. Jones made 10 saves on the night, including six in a second half in which Carolina held a one-woman advantage. A Blue Devil was shown a red card for a crude gesture with just seconds to go in the first half, giving the Tar Heels an 11-10 edge. But the playing field was leveled again when junior Talia Dellaperuta received her second yellow card of the match in the 73rd minute. Those two yellows elevated to a red, and Dellaperuta was dismissed.
Carolina kept its foot on the gas pedal, but still ended 90 minutes goal-less for the first time all season. Playing in their first overtime match of the year as well, UNC forced three more saves from Jones and saw a shot from leading goal-scorer Avery Patterson hit the post. Carolina goalkeeper Emmie Allen made big plays of her own, including a save on a Duke shot in the final minute of the second overtime period.
The match went into a five-round penalty shootout, the first for UNC since the 2019 national championship. Allen saved Duke’s first penalty, and the Tar Heels carried the advantage into their fifth and final kick. But with a chance to clinch a spot in the championship, sophomore Bella Sember’s penalty met the mitts of Jones, who prolonged the match into sudden-victory penalty kicks.
The Tar Heels and Blue Devils traded a pair of makes (though Ruby Grant’s penalty came dangerously close to being saved) until Allen stepped up again and saved her second penalty of the shootout. This time, UNC was able to make the advantage count, as senior forward and Cary native Emily Moxley slotted home the match-winner to end a long night on her home turf.
After missing the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history in 2021, Carolina now has a chance to win the competition for the first time since 2019. They will meet the winner of Florida State and Notre Dame on Sunday at noon. The match will be televised on ESPNU.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Soccer on Twitter
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