By R.L. Bynum

No. 1 North Carolina (21–1) vs. No. 2 Northwestern (20–1)
When: 2:30 p.m. Friday
What: The second national semifinal; No. 3 Princeton (18–3) beat No. 4 Harvard (19–2) 2–0 in the first semifinal.
Where: Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium on Duke’s East Campus
TV: ESPNU: Suzanne Bush play-by-play, Leah Secondo analyst
Paths to the Final Four: Northwestern beat No. 12 Yale 5–1 and No. 11 Miami of Ohio 3–2; Carolina beat Saint Joseph’s 2–1 and No. 8 Duke 2–1 in overtime.

Series: UNC leads 6–5–1

This is the fourth NCAA tournament meeting in the last five years; UNC leads 2–1 and has won the last two, which were both national-championship games:

2023: UNC won in a shootout after it was 2–2 following overtime (Charly Bruder scored in regulation; Ryleigh Heck clinched the win in a shootout).
2022: UNC won 2–1 on Erin Matson’s late goal for title No. 10 and an undefeated season.

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Statistical comparison

UNC	Statistic	Northwestern
83	Goals	78
401	Shots	394
18.2	Shots per game	18.8
235	Shots on goal	228
58.6	SOG %	57.9
3.77	Goals per game	3.71
180	Corners	177
76	Assists	74
73	Saves	57
24	Goals against	14
1.09	Opponent goals per game	0.67

Notes

— Former UNC player Ashley Sessa (above) leads Northwestern and the country in points with 63 (22 goals, 19 assists). The forward was part of the Tar Heels’ 2022 national championship team that beat the Wildcats in the final, then transferred to Northwestern after taking an Olympic waiver year.
— UNC coach Erin Matson has five national championships, four as a player and one as a coach.
— UNC is the No. 1 seed for the fourth straight year and seventh time in eight years.
— This is the eighth Final Four in North Carolina but the first time in Durham.
— Carolina is 11–1 in Final Four competition in North Carolina, winning five national titles in those seasons.
— The Tar Heels have given up 0.99 of a goal in the NCAA tournament, which is second behind UConn.
— Carolina leads the country with 10 wins against top-15 teams.
— UNC is 85–30 all-time in the NCAA tournament with titles in five of the last seven seasons.
— Carolina is 41–5 as the No. 1 seed, with eight national titles.
— The Tar Heels’ 29 Final Four appearances and 42 NCAA tournament berths are both records.
— This is Northwestern’s third consecutive Final Four.
— The Wildcats are known for tight defense and opportunistic scoring, which is one reason that recent matchups with UNC have been either decided by one goal or in a shootout.
— Senior forward Ryleigh Heck (18 goals, 13 assists) has a team-high 49 points (12th in the country) for UNC, followed by senior forward/midfielder Dani Mendez (15 goals, 15 assists) with 45 and junior forward Charly Bruder (18 goals, 5 assists) with 41.
— The goalie tandem of freshman Merritt Skubisz (7–0–0, 1.18 goals-against average with a 74.5% save percentage) and graduate Katie Wimmer (14–1–0, 0.98, 75.6%) have combined for a 1.08 GAA and a 75% save percentage. They alternate who starts, and each plays a half in each game.
— Northwestern redshirt sophomore midfielder Emilie Kirschner is the daughter of Steve Kirschner, UNC’s senior associate athletic director.