Schultz Scores Game-Winner As Tar Heels Wrap Up Perfect ACC Season

Thursday, October 25

Cary, N.C. (WakeMed Soccer Park)

6 p.m.

North Carolina

15-2-1,ACC 10-0

Wake Forest

8-8-1,ACC 4-6

Wake Forest

North Carolina

2018 UNC Women's Soccer Seniors

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Schultz Scores Game-Winner As Tar Heels Wrap Up Perfect ACC Season

October 25, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (pdf)Play By Play (pdf)ACC Tournament Bracket (pdf)Coach Dorrance Post Game (mp3)Watch Highlights

UNC faces Virginia Tech Sunday in ACC Tournament quarterfinal

By: Dave Lohse

CARY, N.C. – Junior forward Madison Schultz's flair for the dramatic returned to benefit the third-ranked North Carolina women's soccer team Thursday night as the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park to finish the 2018 ACC regular season schedule undefeated and untied, the first time Carolina has accomplished that feat since 2006.

Schultz headed home the game-winning goal in the 74^th minute to provide the Tar Heels with the winning margin in a hard-fought defensive battle in which the Demon Deacons held Carolina to a season-low seven shots.

The junior from Edmonds, Wash., held her line and split a pair of Wake Forest defenders to deliver a header from 12 yards that found the right side of the goal past Demon Deacon goalkeeper Nonie Frishette. Annie Kingman tackled the ball away from a Demon Deacon defender moments earlier and Taylor Otto sent a short pass to Julia Ashley who then launched a perfect cross into the box to Schultz.

Schultz was starting for the first time in the season as Rachel Jones was nursing an injury. Her game-winning goal was her second of the season and seventh of her career. Her other game-winning tally came in the season opener against Illinois on August 16. It was two years ago that she scored five goals, all game-winners, beginning with the final game of the 2016 ACC regular season against Florida State. She went on to score the game-winning tallies against Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, against Liberty in the NCAA first round, against Kansas in the NCAA second round and against South Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinals. Altogether, seven of her 10 career goals have been game-winning tallies as she has delivered at the most opportune times in her career.

With the win, UNC finished the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, notching a 15-2-1 overall mark and a perfect 10-0 ledger in ACC play. Wake Forest saw its two-match winning streak end and the Demon Deacons conclude the regular season at 8-8-1 overall and 4-6 in the ACC.

The 10 ACC wins equal the most UNC has recorded in a single season in history. It also won 10 league matches in 2006 and 2013. The 10-0-0 mark is the first time since 2006 that Carolina has finished undefeated and untied in ACC regular season play. UNC was also 10-0-0 that season.

The game was very even statistically. UNC outshot the Demon Deacons 7-5, including a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. The Tar Heels had three corner kicks to two for the Demon Deacons. Nonie Frishette played the entire 90 minutes in goal for Wake Forest, making three saves while allowing one goal. Senior Samantha Leshnak went the whole way in goal for the Tar Heels, making two saves and recording her fourth solo shutout of the season.

Carolina outshot the Demon Deacons 4-1 in the first half and had three excellent chances to take the lead. Frishette made outstanding saves on a pair of shots by Alessia Russo at 15:58 in a one-on-one situation after a Wake Forest turnover and again at 35:37, forcing a corner kick. After a foul by Wake Forest in the 42^nd minute of play, Lotte Wubben-Moy served a ball into the middle of the penalty box that bounced around before being cleared off the end line at the very last second by a Demon Deacon defender for a corner kick.

Leshnak made one save in each half for Carolina. Wake Forest took four of the first five shots of the second half, but UNC defense clamped down and denied the Deacs a shot in the final 18:32 of the match.

The game was the final regular season home game for Tar Heel seniors Nicole Crutchfield, Dorian Bailey, Megan Joyner, Annie Kingman, Sydney Wooten, Alex Kimball, Samantha Leshnak, Julia Ashley, Kate Morris, Jessie Scarpa and Maggie Bill.

UNC will play host to Virginia Tech Sunday in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament. The game will be played at 1 p.m. at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. It will be nationally televised on ACC Network Extra. The Tar Heels are the #1 seed in the tournament and the Hokies are the #8 seed.