UNC women’s soccer defeats Santa Clara, 1-0, in second round of NCAA Tournament –

On By Littum

The no. 2-seeded UNC women’s soccer team (18-5, 7-3 ACC) defeated Santa Clara (13-3-5, 6-1-3 WCC, 1-0) Friday night at Dorrance Field in the second round of the NCAA – the tournament.

The Tar Heels appeared disjointed offensively in the first half, unable to connect for consistent ball movement on the offensive end. North Carolina outscored Santa Clara 15-1 in the final 45 minutes after mustering just four shots in the first half. Junior defender Tessa Dellarose snuck in a quick goal on a missed shot that gave the Tar Heels the lead with seventeen seconds left.

“It’s a great example of exactly fighting and believing until the last second,” interim head coach Damon Nahas said. “All of them crashed the box and Tessa was obviously there to put it in.”

Each team traded close blows in the first half, but both defensive units remained steadfast during all offensive attacks. Graduate goalie Clare Gagne had three saves in the first half to keep the Broncos off the scoreboard as the Tar Heels struggled offensively.

“We had so many chances, we had so many looks on goal,” Gagne said. “It takes a whole team to defend and also get a shutout.”

The first shot of the game for the Tar Heels came in the fifth minute on a strike by sophomore forward Olivia Thomas, who sped toward the bottom right corner of the goal but was stopped just short by Santa Clara graduate goalkeeper Marlee Nicholos.

On the ensuing possession, the Tar Heels penetrated the Broncos’ defensive line, resulting in a wide-open field for junior forward Maddie Dahlien, who sped down a clear lane for a close attempt denied by Nicholos.

Dahlia’s shot was the last for the Tar Heels in twenty minutes of gameplay. A defensive back-and-forth ensued, with each team aggressively pursuing bouts of offensive momentum but coming up empty.

Despite North Carolina’s inability to get on the scoreboard, they held Santa Clara to zero shots in the first 30 minutes and dominated possession for the majority of the first half.