Martin Rebounds From Error

Things started out fine for the Tar Heel sweeper.

She helped organize a defense that held the Demon Deacons scoreless in the first half, despite allowing seven shots and three penalty corners.

Then came the mistake.

With the game still scoreless early in the second half, Wake capitalized on a mental error by Martin.

While Martin argued a call with the umpire, Wake forward Jennie Shelton ripped a shot past goalkeeper Amy Tran.

"I was arguing with the umpire, and it cost us a goal," Martin said. "You can't turn your head for a second in this game, or you'll get beat."

Wake added another goal less than five minutes later, extending the lead to 2-0 and seemingly leaving UNC for dead.

But Martin, who led the Tar Heels with 37 points in the regular season, had a chance to revive her squad and redeem herself for her earlier mistake.

After a Kerry Falgowski goal cut the lead to 2-1, the All-ACC sweeper scored the equalizer at 5:04 on a corner option.

When the ball found the back of the net, she leaped in the air and a mob of teammates congratulated her.

"I was happy to see her so excited to score the tying goal," said UNC coach Karen Shelton. "Abby really has been tremendous this season."

The game continued into sudden-death overtime.

But Deacon Lucy Shaw's penalty-corner goal in overtime left Martin and North Carolina with a disappointing loss.

"(Overtime) is when we should be the most fired up, and I don't think we responded the greatest," Martin said.

The loss ended Martin's chance for her first ACC Tournament title and also marked the fourth-straight year the Tar Heels have fallen in the semifinal round.

And Friday's contest could be the two-time All-ACC performer's final game at Henry Stadium. The NCAA will announce tournament seeding Tuesday.

Despite never winning a conference tournament title, Martin has enjoyed a remarkable career at North Carolina.

Last year the 5-foot-3 back helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA title game, which they lost 3-1 to Old Dominion.

Martin's career numbers also are impressive. Her 127 points and 49 goals rank eighth and ninth in school history, respectively.

"She has been a leader for us on the field," Shelton said. "But her career isn't over yet."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu