Women’s Soccer Takes On Penn State In NCAA Quarterfinals

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A big-time matchup between No. 2-seed North Carolina and No. 4-seed Penn State will take place at Dorrance Field on Friday, Nov. 29, in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament with a trip to the College Cup on the line.

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET. The quarterfinal match will air on ESPN+ with Matt Krause and former UNC standout Brianna Pinto on call. Tickets are available for purchase here.

Match Info
Who: (2) Carolina vs. (4) Penn State
What: NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
Where: Chapel Hill, N.C. – Dorrance Field
When: Friday, Nov. 29 – 6 p.m. ET
Links: Live Stats | Live Stream

The Tar Heels enter the contest with a 19-5 (7-3 ACC) record. The team advanced to the quarterfinals following its 3-0 win over No. 6-seed Minnesota in the third round. They also had an 8-0 shutout over USC Upstate in the opening round and a 1-0 win over Santa Clara in the second round.

The Nittany Lions boast a 15-6-3 (5-4-2 Big Ten) mark on the year. They earned the opportunity to play on Friday after a 3-1 victory over No. 8-seed Vanderbilt in the Sweet Sixteen. The team started the tournament with an 8-1 rout of Stony Brook followed by a 1-0 win against TCU.

UNC checked in at No. 8 in the final regular season United Soccer Coaches poll while PSU was ranked No. 22.

NCAA Tournament Tidbits

North Carolina extended its streak as the only team to appear in all 43 NCAA Tournaments.
The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 150-18-5 (.882) in the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina has won 21 of 42 NCAA titles, plus the 1981 AIAW title for 22 national championships.
Carolina has appeared in 31 College Cups, including four of the last six. No other team has been in more than 14.
UNC has advanced to the national title game 27 times, including three of the last six, and has finished as the national runner-up on six occasions.
The Tar Heels have been a No. 2 seed 12 times before, winning five NCAA crowns as a second seed, including its last title in 2012.
The Tar Heels are 30-2-2 all-time in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Carolina has out-scored its opponent 113-28 in the quarterfinals with 17 shutouts.
Seven current players in Maddie Dahlien, Tessa Dellarose, Makenna Dominguez, Emerson Elgin, Kate Faasse, Asha Means and Bella Sember were on the 2022 NCAA runner-up team.

Ten Things to Know

The Tar Heels earned their 150th NCAA Tournament win in program history on Nov. 24 – 83 more than any other school.
This will be the 10th meeting between North Carolina and Penn State in program history, and fourth in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC leads the all-time series with PSU at 6-2-1, including 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
The last meeting between the two teams was a 0-0 draw in the 2023 season opener in University Park, Pa. UNC out-shot PSU, 19-5.
The last meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament was a 4-1 Carolina victory in the 2012 National Championship. That was UNC's last national title.
Carolina is one win away from its 30th 20+-win season in school history. It would be the fifth 20+ win campaign in the last 15 years, the last which came in 2022.
A win on Friday would send the Tar Heels to their 32nd College Cup, and fifth in the last seven years. No other program has more than 14 College Cup appearances.
Kate Faasse ranks second in the ACC, and third in the nation, with 18 goals. She has scored 10 goals in the last 12 games and has three braces so far during postseason play.
UNC's defensive unit has limited its opponents to 4.6 shots and 2.3 shots on goal throughout the NCAA Tournament. All three NCAA matches so far have been shutouts.
Tessa Dellarose, who scored the game-winning goal with 22 seconds left on the clock in the NCAA Second Round, was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.

The winner of Friday's match will advance to the NCAA College Cup held in nearby Cary at WakeMed Soccer Park on Dec. 6 (semifinals) and Dec. 9 (championship). More information about the 2024 NCAA Tournament can be found here.

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

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Maddie Dahlien

Tessa Dellarose

Makenna Dominguez

Emerson Elgin

Kate Faasse

Asha Means

Bella Sember

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