No. 2 Wake Forest (16-4-4, 7-2-1 ACC) saw their season come to an end, falling 1-0 to No. 2 North Carolina (22-5-0, 7-3-0 ACC) in the national championship match at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
The Demon Deacons appeared in control for most of the first half. They controlled 62 percent of the possession and outshot the Tar Heels 5-to-1.
Senior forward Emily Murphy recorded the first shot attempt of the match in the ninth minute. Murphy pushed ahead in transition before firing a ball from long range which was saved by North Carolina goalkeeper Clare Gagne.
In the 14th minute, a crosser from senior midfielder Emily Morris found sophomore forward Sierra Sythe in the middle of the box. A left-footed shot from Sythe was very close, but Gagne made a phenomenal save, diving to her right.
The Tar Heels had a prime opportunity in the 31st minute after they were awarded a penalty kick from distance. A beautiful entry pass sent sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral sprinting out of the net to intercept the ball. Senior midfielder Emily Colton kicked it out of play at midfield, keeping the match scoreless.
Murphy out-ran a North Carolina defender in the 34th minute and delivered a crosser to junior forward Caiya Hanks deep into the box. Hanks stretched out to make a play, but the pass was too far ahead. Murphy was visibly frustrated, standing frozen, hands over her face.
Early in the second half, the Tar Heels seemed more comfortable offensively. Amaral was forced into her only save of the match in the 55th minute and a few other attempts put pressure on the Wake Forest backline.
A tackle from sophomore midfielder Dempsey Brown drew a yellow card in the 62nd minute, resulting in a North Carolina penalty kick on the edge of the box. Forward Olivia Thomas curved the kick into the back of the net, mere inches from the fingertips of Amaral. The largely Carolina Blue crowd erupted as the Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead.
Another yellow card was called in the 73rd minute this time in favor of Wake Forest. Senior defender Zara Chavoshi took the penalty kick from near the Demon Deacon bench, but the ball was caught by Gagne.
Unable to get clean looks on the goal, Wake Forest grew desperate as seconds ticked away. The Demon Deacons did not record a single shot on the frame in the second half. North Carolina flipped the script when they needed it most and earned their 23rd national title in program history.
Wake Forest led the ACC in yellow cards (33) and finished 4th in fouls per game (10.08). The Demon Deacons had been able to avoid the consequences of undisciplined play all year, but it ultimately caught up to them on the biggest stage.
Nevertheless, it should not take anything away from the historic season.
It was the Demon Deacons’ first-ever appearance in the national championship and their second trip to the College Cup. In addition, they were ranked as high as No. 2 in the regular season—the highest ranking in program history.
