Women’s Soccer Drops 1-0 Decision At Stanford

Sunday, October 13

Stanford, Calif.

4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT)

North Carolina

13-2-0, 6-1-0

#7 Stanford

12-2-1, 4-2-1

North Carolina

Stanford

Photo by: John Lozano

October 13, 2024 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 North Carolina women's soccer was on the other side of a late goal this time, dropping a narrow 1-0 decision to No. 7 Stanford in a tightly-contested top-10 battle on Sunday afternoon at Cagan Stadium in California.

The Tar Heels drop to 6-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 13-2 overall mark on the year. The Cardinal improve to 11-3-1 (3-3-1 ACC).

How It Happened

Carolina got on the ball early as Maddie Dahlien cut inside from the right to find space, sending a shot that was ultimately denied within the first minute of action.
With full control of the pace of play, UNC kept pressing into the attack and was able to get off four more shots in the opening 25 minutes.
The Tar Heels' back line continued to lock down, displaying terrific defensive work to eradicate any Stanford advance.
When the Cardinal did break through in the 29th and 39th minutes, both attempts on frame were denied after huge saves from Clare Gagne.
A chess match of a first half saw the teams enter the break at a scoreless stalemate, although the shots fell 7-2 in UNC's favor.
The back-and-forth battle between two powerhouse programs continued into the second half. Anchored by Aria Nagai, UNC's midfield was able to move the ball around well offensively while shutting down any space Stanford could find on the defensive side.
UNC's lone look on frame in the second half came in the 72nd minute with a low shot to the near post from Olivia Thomas, resulting in the Stanford keeper making a comfortable save.
Momentum started to swing Stanford's way during the final 20 minutes. The hosts found the go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute after Shae Harvey slotted it into the bottom right from inside the box.
Despite fighting with urgency in search of the equalizer in the game's waning moments, the Tar Heels were unable to find the back of the net and picked up their first ACC loss of the season.

Inside the Box Score

Gagne matched her career-high five saves for the third time this season and in back-to-back games.
Stanford had been holding opponents to an average of just 7.7 shots per game, but Carolina was able to send off 11.
The home team finished with 14 shots and a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. UNC has kept all opponents to 15 shots or fewer this season.
Stanford played a physical match, being shown three first-half yellow cards.
Seven Tar Heels logged a full 90 minutes: Aven Alvarez, Tessa Dellarose, Emerson Elgin, Kate Faasse, Gagne, Nagai, Bella Sember and Linda Ullmark.

Up Next
The second-ranked Tar Heels return to Chapel Hill for their penultimate regular season home contest on Thursday, Oct. 17, against Clemson at Dorrance Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on ACCNX.

Thursday's match will serve as Alumni Night as well as Anson Dorrance Day, where the team will celebrate the legendary head coach alongside his former players. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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