Women’s Soccer Suffers 2-1 Overtime Loss To Pitt In ACC First Round

Sunday, October 29

Chapel Hill, N.C.

8 p.m. ET

North Carolina

10-1-8, 5-0-5

Pitt

14-4-1, 6-3-1

Pittsburgh

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Women’s Soccer Suffers 2-1 Overtime Loss To Pitt In ACC First Round

October 29, 2023 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The fourth-seeded North Carolina women's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Sunday night at Dorrance Field, dropping a 2-1 decision in double overtime to fifth-seeded Pitt in the first round of the 2023 Ally Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Tournament.

The Tar Heels fall to 10-1-8 (5-0-5 ACC) on the year. The Panthers improve to 14-4-1 (6-2-1 ACC) and will face top-seeded Florida State in Thursday's semifinal.

How It Happened

Pitt was able to create chances early on, forcing Emmie Allen to make two saves in the opening 22 minutes. UNC started to gain momentum towards the end of the first half but its two shots on target were denied by the Panthers' keeper.
The back-and-forth battle which characterized the first half saw both teams go into the break scoreless, with the visitors holding an 8-5 edge in shots.
The Panthers controlled the start of the second half and were able to capitalize in the 73rd minute after Ellie Coffield's header gave them a 1-0 lead.
The Tar Heels quickly responded three minutes later with the equalizer. Separating herself from two defenders, Ally Sentnor fired her signature lethal left-footed strike from 20 yards out into the upper right corner.
A score deadlocked at one apiece forced the game into overtime. At the end of regulation, the Panthers held a 17-9 edge in shots and an 8-2 advantage in corners.
The Tar Heels applied pressure early on into the first overtime period with three quick shots on frame, including two from Tori Dellaperuta.
The Panthers again found the back of the net off Amanda West's header in the 99th minute. With UNC unable to find last-minute attempts, Pitt's 2-1 lead stood as the final score.

Inside the Box Score

Sentnor netted her seventh goal of the season. She is now tied for the team lead with 18 points and ranks second with seven goals.
Allen recorded a season-high six saves between the posts. Pitt's Ellie Breech finished with four.
The visiting team concluded the match with 19 shots to the host's 14. That matched Florida State for the most shots UNC has allowed all season and was the first time an opponent has out-shot Carolina this year.
Pitt's eight shots were the most UNC has allowed in the first half all season, matching the eight taken by Virginia Tech in the opening 45 minutes.
UNC's back line of Allen, Maycee Bell, Emerson Elgin and Savy King logged a full 110 minutes.
This marked Carolina's first quarterfinal loss since a 1-0 defeat to Virginia in 2012, also as the No. 4 seed.

Up Next
The Tar Heels, who are ranked third in the nation, now await their NCAA Tournament fate. The selection show will take place Monday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. UNC checked in at No. 3 in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee's top 16 rankings, which was revealed on Oct. 16.

Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.