CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina — The Notre Dame women’s soccer team took one of the best teams in the country to the limit but ultimately fell to the third-ranked Tar Heels 3-0 Sunday night at Dorrance Field.
How It Happened
The Irish opened the match with five defenders in hopes of slowing down the high-powered Tar Heel offense. The lineup change did just that in the first half for the Irish.
North Carolina was able to get a few opportunities in the offensive third but only had one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of play. The shot was corralled by Brooke Littman for the save and the score was level 0-0 at the half.
In the second half, Carolina capitalized on a Notre Dame turnover in their defensive zone. After the Tar Heels regained possession, they had two quick passes before the ball was in the box on the foot of Lotte Wubben-Moy. She quickly fired a shot on goal and Littman got her hand on it but it deflected into the back of the net for the opening goal.
In the 65th minute, the Irish had their best chance at the equalizer after earning a corner kick. Sammi Fisher sent a high corner into the box and the rebound came out to Shannon Hendricks just outside the box. She one-timed the shot with pace but Claudia Dickey was there to make the save.
Moments later, the Tar Heels were on the front foot and it resulted in an insurance goal. North Carolina forced a corner kick and the ball was flicked to Ru Mucherera in the far side of the box. Mucherera took one touch towards goal and ripped the ball into the top of the net for goal.
Carolina converted on a penalty kick in the 85th minute for its third goal of the night and sealed the quarterfinal win for the Tar Heels.
Up Next
The Irish will await their postseason hopes next week for the NCAA Tournament selection show. The full 64-team field will be announced on Monday November 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET and the show will be aired on NCAA.com.
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Irish women’s soccer program, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and @NDWSoccer on Instagram.
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