The North Carolina defense shined as the No. 7 Tar Heels (8-2, 2-1 ACC) held off the No. 6 Syracuse Orange (8-2, 1-2 ACC) in a tight overtime battle.
What happened?
The game started off slow, with both teams combining for only 5 totally shots in the first half. UNC finally got its first goal at the end of the half from senior forward Gab Major off an assist from junior Ashley Hoffman.
In the second half, the UNC defense stepped up big, working together to fend off a relentless Syracuse attack. It was apparent that every Tar Heel on the field was working to put a stop to the Orange, according to head coach Karen Shelton.
"It was a great team effort," Shelton said. "We defend from the front so that the forwards can work and press against Syracuse's big backs, which was important for us today."
After playing defensively for most of the half, junior midfield Eva van't Hoog stepped up for the Tar Heels with a goal in the 52nd minute off a pass from sophomore midfielder Feline Guenther.
Less than 2 minutes after van't Hoog's go-ahead goal, Syracuse's Elaine Carey scored off a long outlet pass by Roos Weers. This left the Orange down 2-1 with little time left, pressing to tie the game up.
After many failed chances from both teams in the remaining minutes, Syracuse's Erin Gillingham scored off an extra-time penalty, 1 of 3 penalties awarded to the Orange at the end of the 70th minute with no time on the clock. The goal sent the game to extra time.
But overtime didn't last long, as van't Hoog scored on the Tar Heel's first chance with an impressive inside move in front of the goal.