By R.L. Bynum
DURHAM — It was national semifinal heartbreak for the second straight season for No. 1 North Carolina, this time delivered in agonizing fashion.
A shot by Northwestern’s Grace Schultze deflected off UNC’s Sietske Bruning and into the cage for a golden goal 9:23 into overtime, giving No. 3 Northwestern a 4–3 victory Friday at Williams Field.
Bruning could only shake her head afterward.
“To be honest, it’s kind of a blur,” Bruner (top photo), a senior forward, said. “I tried to just get a touch on it. I knew there were people behind me. I tried to just get out of the circle. Unfortunately, the touch was into my own foot, I’m pretty sure, and it just went into the goal.”
Carolina (21–2) gave up a season-high 10 corners and did a good job defending many of them until the Wildcats tied it on a corner with 1:10 left in regulation on Ilse Tromp’s goal off a Maddie Zimmer assist.
The Tar Heels blew a two-goal third-quarter lead, making it the biggest comeback in a semifinal since the Tar Heels rallied from three down to beat UConn 4–3 in two overtimes in 2011.
UNC had a golden chance earlier on its third corner of overtime. Freshman Reese Anetsberger had the ball deflect toward her in front of the cage but hit off her foot.
Northwestern (21–1) faces Princeton (18–3), a 2–0 winner over Harvard, in Sunday’s 1 p.m. title game (ESPNU).
“I think it was a great game of hockey,” UNC coach Erin Matson said, “exactly what you want to see in college sports, a game like that. Our Heels gave it their all. I am extremely proud of the way they played, but also the way they carried themselves the entire game and after the game in this room right now.”
Matson recalled a quiet exchange after the game with one of her players that underscored the season’s impact, despite falling short of their goal.
“She looked me in the eyes and very calmly said, ‘This was the best year of my life,’ and that it was transformational for her,” Matson recalled. “That is exactly why we do this. If we detach from that outcome, I’m extremely proud of today and just who they are as people.”
It was yet another pressure-packed game, but senior Ryleigh Heck said that’s what you sign up for when you come to play at Carolina.
“Carolina gives you the opportunity to play with pressure, and that’s one of the best feelings you can have as an athlete,” she said. “I’m so grateful that I had that chance.”
Northwestern’s Ashley Sessa, who transferred from UNC after helping the Tar Heels win the 2022 national title with Matson and current seniors as teammates, admitted the matchup was emotional.
“It just means a lot playing against such competitive competition, and I’m still friends with a lot of girls on that team,” said Seesa, who assisted on the Wildcats’ first goal. “But I think we just showed how strong we are as a team and our connection together.”
This was a continuation of a high-level rivalry that included Carolina wins in the 2023 (shootout) and 2022 (2–1) national championship games.
“Games against Northwestern are always good games, always hard-fought battles,” Bruning said. “You have that extra fire.”
Giving up so many corners ended up being Carolina’s undoing, although the Tar Heels defended many of them well, getting deflections on some shots.
“We knew defense was going to be huge in this game, and I think we played the best defensive effort that we had all season from everybody,” Matson said. “Northwestern still created opportunities. Their penalty corners are a strength of their team, and they were able to put some away.
“We gave up 10 too many in an ideal world, but it’s a game of inches,” Matson said. “I’ll stay focused on just how strong we played defensively. That takes a lot for me to say after a lot of growth throughout the season.”
It wasn’t the way senior Ryleigh Heck envisioned her career ending, particularly after she scored 4:15 into the game and Kara Heck made it 2–0 on a corner five minutes later.
She said the journey meant more than the final score.
“Just thinking back on the past four years, I’ve definitely grown into a leader. Never thought I’d be a captain for UNC, and here I am,” she said. “This whole year, I just learned what it takes, and I couldn’t have done that without Erin and all the coaching staff and the players around me. The Carolina program is just such an amazing place to be at and to learn and just to grow as a person and player on and off the field.”
Northwestern broke through on its second corner in nine seconds, with Maja Zivojnovic firing a shot past UNC goalie Katie Wimmer at 27:45, assisted by Sessa and Olivia Bent-Cole, to cut UNC’s halftime lead to 2–1.
Each team scored third-quarter goals. Carolina’s came at 35:07 on another corner, with Isabel Boere whipping in a shot from the edge of the circle off a Bruder assist. Northwestern’s came at 42:47 on Bent-Cole’s driving shot on a Zimmer assist.
Northwestern coach Tracey Fuchs called it “an amazing hockey game” and added: “That game could have gone either way … I’m really, really proud of the resilience that we showed today.”
Notes
— The most corners UNC gave up before Friday was nine twice (in a 5–1 win over California and a 2–1 overtime loss to Wake Forest).
— Carolina’s loss in the semifinals last season came against Saint Joseph’s, a defeat that the Tar Heels avenged with a 2–1 first-round victory this season.
— It was the third time this season that Northwestern has given up three goals, with the Wildcats 2–1 in those games.
— Carolina’s two first-quarter goals came after the Wildcats had given up only four first-quarter goals all season.
— This was the fourth NCAA tournament meeting in the last five years, and Northwestern won after UNC won the last two.
— Carolina fell to 11–2 in Final Four competition in North Carolina.
— UNC is 85–31 all-time in the NCAA tournament and fell to 41–6 as the No. 1 seed.
No. 2 Northwestern 4, No. 1 UNC 3, OT
NCAA tournament
Nov. 12 opening-round results
Saint Joseph’s 2, Drexel 0
Fairfield 1, Boston University 0
Nov. 13 first-round results
No. 1 North Carolina 2, Saint Joseph’s 1
No. 2 Princeton 3, Fairfield 1
No. 3 Harvard 8, New Hampshire 2
Miami (OH) 2, No. 4 Virginia 1
Duke 2, Iowa 1
Northwestern 5, Yale 1
UConn 2, Wake Forest 0
Syracuse 3, Liberty 2 (SO)
Nov. 15 quarterfinals
No. 1 North Carolina 2, Duke 1, OT
Northwestern 3, Miami of Ohio 2
No. 2 Princeton 2, Syracuse 1
No. 3 Harvard 1, UConn 0
Friday’s national semifinals at Duke
Princeton 2, Harvard 1
Northwestern 4, North Carolina 3, OT
Sunday’s national championship game at Duke
Princeton (18–3) vs. Northwestern (21–1), 1 p.m., ESPNU
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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