The No. 2 UNC women’s soccer team did something on Sunday afternoon it hadn’t done yet this season: it earned itself a comeback win. The Tar Heels conceded a first-half goal to visiting UCF and trailed 1-0 at Dorrance Field, but an equalizer just before halftime and a go-ahead goal early in the second half were all they needed to clinch a 2-1 win.

“Clearly we were fatigued from the Duke game,” said Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance. “We still have to have have the capacity, even fatigued, to bring an A game. UCF didn’t play on Thursday, and we were a little burned out from playing our bitter rival.”

Ellie Moreno’s opening goal for UCF was one of four shots for the Knights in the first half. By comparison, the No. 3 Blue Devils took just two shots during the entire game Thursday night in Durham. Though the Tar Heels were far from sharp, Ally Sentnor’s second goal of the season in the 44th minute brought the match back onto level terms. Sentnor didn’t start the match, but was one of 10 substitutes UNC brought on during the course of the match.

“A part of the reason we won is we subbed,” Dorrance said. “I think in the second half you could see the game turn as it wore on. We had more and more domination, more and more chances, and that’s a credit to our depth.”

UNC continued to press after halftime, and it was Avery Patterson netting her sixth goal of the season in the 59th minute which gave Carolina the lead for good. Patterson has already eclipsed her scoring mark from all of the 2021 season, when she scored five goals.

Carolina ended up outshooting the Knights 15-7. Emmie Allen, once again starting for UNC in net over backup Marz Josephson, made three saves on the day.

The win is UNC’s second straight after dropping its first match of the year last Sunday and losing the No. 1 ranking, but the team’s hold on No. 2 appears to be firm. The 7-1 Tar Heels will have six days to rest and recover before another ranked clash at Dorrance Field. No. 5 Virginia will come calling Saturday night at 6 p.m. The Cavaliers are unbeaten on the season.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Soccer on Twitter

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Soccer Locks Down Cal, Wins ACC Opener
UNC held visiting Cal without a single shot on target Thursday night at Dorrance Field, and the Tar Heels cruised to a 3-0 win in their first ACC match of the season. Only way to start ACC play 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/kHB8FgH2pT — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 11, 2026 Carolina took the lead inside […]
UNC Soccer: Women Win at Arizona State, Men Draw at Cal
Both the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were playing out west Sunday. The women used a penalty kick goal to beat Arizona State 1-0 in Tempe, while the men battled to a 2-2 draw against Cal in Berkeley. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels and Sun Devils combined for just seven total shots […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Arizona in First Game of Western Trip
A pair of second half goals from Summer Denigan and Bella Devey helped UNC beat Arizona 2-1 in Tucson Thursday night. Found a way 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/iLokMXQPye — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 4, 2026 The two teams went into halftime tied at 0-0 despite UNC controlling most of the chances. The Tar Heels […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Irish Professional Side in Dublin Exhibition
The UNC women’s soccer team got the Tar Heels’ visit to Dublin, Ireland off on the right foot. Carolina defeated Irish professional side Shelbourne F.C. 3-0 in an exhibition match at Tolka Park Friday. The match was played in conjunction with the football team’s game against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic […]
UNC Women's Soccer Suffers First Loss of 2026 vs. No. 5 Michigan State
Despite outshooting No. 5 Michigan State 21-7, UNC fell to the Spartans 3-2 Sunday at Dorrance Field. It’s Carolina’s first loss of the 2026 season. The Spartans took the lead midway through the first half on a goal by Kennedy Bell, but UNC’s Summer Denigan answered less than three minutes later to tie the score […]
UNC Soccer: Women Beat Arkansas, Men Draw at No. 5 Georgetown
Both UNC soccer teams earned quality results on the road Thursday night, as the men drew at No. 5 Georgetown and the women won 2-0 at Arkansas. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels took an early advantage in the season opener after Rutgers transfer Joschi Schelb headed in a cross from Luca Nikolai for […]
UNC Women's Soccer Scores Most Goals Since 2019 in Win vs. Quinnipiac
UNC’s Bella Devey recorded a hat trick in less than 15 minutes to help the Tar Heels on their way to an 8-0 win against Quinnipiac at Dorrance Field Sunday. The eight goals are Carolina’s most in a single match since 2019. Heels are 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/hHYDCWkCjK — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Fairfield in 2026 Season Opener
Sophomore defender Hope Munson bagged the first two goals of her collegiate career in the first half as UNC defeated Fairfield 4-0 at Dorrance Field in the 2026 season opener Thursday night. Game 𝙒𝙊𝙉 😏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/VWOUvguLeH — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August 14, 2026 Munson collected her brace in just over a half […]
UNC Women's Soccer Picked 5th in ACC; Bella Devey Named Preseason All-ACC
UNC has been picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s preseason women’s soccer poll, which was released Monday. The Tar Heels were one of five teams to receive at least one first-place vote. Notre Dame sits in first place in the poll with seven of 17 first-place votes, while No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Duke […]
UNC Women's Soccer Releases 2026 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC women’s soccer program released its schedule for the 2026 regular season Monday, which includes matches across seven states and two countries. Mark your calendars, the 2026 schedule is here 👏 Ticket information coming soon!#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/D0FR4zWhkb — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) July 20, 2026 UNC begins with a preseason exhibition against South Carolina at […]
›