The UNC women’s soccer team made the wrong kind of history Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels’ pursuit of a 23rd national title in program history will have to wait another year, as UNC fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to South Carolina at Dorrance Field.

This is Carolina’s first-ever loss in its first game of the NCAA Tournament. Under head coach Anson Dorrance, they had previously been 39-0 in such games. This is also just UNC’s eighth all-time loss at home in NCAA Tournament play.

The Tar Heels, seeded No. 2 in their quadrant of the tournament field, outshot the Gamecocks 11-9 on the afternoon, but couldn’t find a way past South Carolina goalkeeper Heather Hinz. Isabel Cox tested Hinz within the first two minutes of the first half, but it was one of just three shots on goal for Carolina during the entirety of the match.

The two teams entered halftime in a scoreless tie, and the score stayed 0-0 until the 81st minute, when South Carolina’s Luciana Zullo found the back of the net, beating UNC senior goalkeeper Claudia Dickey. With the season on the line, the Tar Heels earned a corner kick in the 84th minute, but were not able to conjure up any meaningful chances before the clock hit 90 minutes.

The defeat was the women’s soccer team’s first match in 16 days, as the team missed out on the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history this season. They finish the season 12-3-3, but were just 2-2-1 in their last five games. South Carolina has now won two of three meetings between the two Carolinas in NCAA Tournament play.

 

Featured image via South Carolina Athletics

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
This Week in UNC Sports: September 14-20, 2026
The upcoming week offers several high-caliber matchups for multiple UNC teams both at home and on the road.
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 […]
›