Women’s Soccer Takes On Duke In ACC Semis Thursday

CARY, N.C. – Top-seeded North Carolina will look to wins its 23rd Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title and first since 2019 beginning with Thursday’s semifinal matchup against fifth-seeded Duke at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

Carolina earned a bye into the semifinals after claiming a share of the 2022 ACC regular season championship along with Florida State. The Tar Heels and Seminoles finished the regular season tied atop the ACC standings, with an 8-2 record, but Carolina earned the No.1 seed in the tournament by virtue of its 2-1 win over FSU in Tallahassee on Oct. 20.

The Tar Heels defeated Louisville in the regular season finale to win a share of their 25th ACC regular season title in 2022.

UNC and Florida State each earned a bye into the semifinals while Duke beat Virginia in the quarterfinals to earn a date with UNC, while Notre Dame defeated Pitt on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals against FSU.

Carolina posted a 3-0 win over the Blue Devils in Durham earlier this season, holding Duke to a mere two shots, with Tori Hansen, Emily Murphy and Isabel Cox each scoring a goal.

Thursday’s semifinal match against Duke will be the Tar Heels’ 13th all-time ACC Tournament meeting against the Blue Devils and first since 2017. UNC is 12-0 all-time against Duke in the ACC Tournament, including a 6-0 record in the semifinals.

The Tar Heels enter the Thursday’s semifinal on a six-match winning streak with its last three victories coming on the road (Florida State, Miami, Louisville). Carolina has outscored its opponents 15-1 over the last six games.

ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS | Carolina has an all-time record of 71-7-5 in ACC Tournament play and has won 22 of the league’s 34 tournament championships. The Tar Heels have been the tournament’s No. 1 seed 22 times previously and have won 19 championships as the top seed.

DOORS CLOSED | UNC recorded its 12th clean sheet of the season in the regular season finale. It’s the Tar Heels most shutouts since 2019 when they recorded 13 shutouts before beginning tournament play. Carolina led the ACC in shutout percentage (.667) and goals against average (.556).  It also conceded the fewest goals in the conference (10).

EIGHT-WIN ACC SEASON | The Tar Heels won eight regular season ACC games for the 13th time since the conference expanded beyond a seven-game schedule in 2004. No other team has more than eight 8-win conference seasons.

POWER HEELS | UNC is ranked No. 3 in the latest RPI report. The Tar…