She had a feeling it would be her.
"Whether you play your best friend, your sister, family, it doesn't matter we're going to go through them if they're in our way, and we're going to win no matter what it takes," said McDowell, whose sister, Liz, is a midfielder for Wake Forest.
The difference is this time, No. 2 UNC's win came much more quickly.
The Tar Heels soundly defeated Wake Forest Thursday 3-0 at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The win marks the fifth time that UNC has shut out the Demon Deacons during the ACC tournament.
The loss ejects Wake (12-7-1, 2-5-1 in the ACC) from the tourney, but the Deacs still have a chance to qualify for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Tar Heels slowly built momentum in the first half, finally striking about seven minutes into the game. A UNC pass penetrated Wake's defense and found forward Alyssa Ramsey, who crossed the ball to Susan Bush. Bush finished the play easily, knocking it past Wake goalkeeper Erin Regan.
UNC (15-1-4, 5-1-2) controlled the flow of the game through the first half and outshot the Deacs seven to two.
Another Tar Heel shot broke through with less than five minutes left in the half. McDowell fired a pass to freshman Lindsay Tarpley from the right side of the box, where Tarpley one-touched the ball, launching it past a diving Regan.
"It was a great ball," said Tarpley, who scored again in the second half. "If that ball wouldn't have been served like it was then there's no way I could have been able to finish it."
