Women’s Soccer Suffers Setback At Duke

Thursday, September 5

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m. ET

North Carolina

6-1-0, 0-0-0

Duke

3-1-1, 0-0-0

North Carolina

Duke

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

September 5, 2024 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 2 North Carolina women's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday night, dropping a 1-0 decision to Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham.

The Tar Heels drop to 6-1 (0-0 ACC) while the unranked Blue Devils improve to 3-1 (0-0 ACC). UNC still leads the all-time Tobacco Road rivalry series at 43-5-5.

This was the first of two regular season meetings between Carolina and Duke this year. Thursday counted as a nonconference game with the official ACC contest set for Oct. 31 in Chapel Hill.

How It Happened

The Blue Devils pressed quickly, getting past a UNC press and creating a few early looks which forced two saves out of Clare Gagne within the first eight minutes of play.
Carolina gradually found its footing after plenty of movement in the midfield. UNC's first shot came in the 16th minute from distance by Bella Sember, but it went right into Duke keeper Leah Freeman's gloves.
The best look of the opening frame was in the 34th minute. A combination play between Kate Faasse and Linda Ullmark showed Ullmark's ability in tight spaces, as she was able to fire off a shot around her defender which was ultimately punched out by Freeman.
Duke took a 1-0 lead it would not relinquish with 38 seconds remaining in the first half. An over-the-top ball which bounced upon landing allowed Maggie Graham to isolate herself from defenders and send a low shot to the back of the net.
The pace of play slowed down a bit coming out of the break, but the Tar Heels were able to settle in and gain some consistent possession in search of the equalizer.
The strongest opportunities came from Ullmark in the 75th minute and Sember 12 minutes later, but both attempts lacked enough power and went right into Freeman's gloves.
With UNC unable to level the score, Duke held on for its first win over the Tar Heels at home in the series history.

Inside the Box Score

The Tar Heels only registered six shots with five on frame, their fewest of the season. Sember had a game-high four shots and three shots on goal.
The Blue Devils had nine shots with four on target. Carolina has held all its opponents to 11 shots or fewer and five or fewer on goal.
Carolina did not have a corner kick for the first time since Nov. 6, 2022, in a 2-1 loss to Florida State. Duke had five, the most allowed by UNC all year.
Gagne finished with three saves between the posts and seven different Tar Heels logged a full 90 minutes.
This was the first time UNC had not scored since a 0-0 draw against Wisconsin on Aug. 24, 2023.

Up Next
The second-ranked Tar Heels look to bounce back as they return to Chapel Hill for a Sunday afternoon matchup against Columbia on Sept. 8. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Dorrance Field and will air on ACCNX. 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.