Tar Heels fall in PK shoot-out -

Women’s soccer misses ACC Championship for ?rst time

Meghan Klingenberg lines up a penalty kick that ultimately hit the post in UNC’s 5-4 shoot-out loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Klingenberg had the equalizing goal for the Tar Heels with less than three minutes left. It is the first time in the history of the tournament that UNC has not reached the final.

CARY — Since the ACC Tournament began 22 years ago, the North Carolina women’s soccer team has competed in the championship game every year.

But in Friday night’s tournament semifinal match, fifth-seeded Wake Forest ended that historic streak.

After a brutal 20-minute overtime stalemate, the Demon Deacons advanced to Sunday’s final game after beating top-seeded UNC 5-4 in penalty kicks.

More than two hours after the first whistle blew, the harsh sound of senior Meghan Klingenberg’s penalty shot hitting the post resonated in WakeMed Soccer Park.

“Penalty kick shoot-outs can go in all kinds of directions, so that doesn’t really devastate me, the fact that we lost the shoot-out,” coach Anson Dorrance said. “I thought at times we played very well, and in general, we were dominant.”

UNC outshot Wake Forest 9-6 during the game and had a 10-1 advantage on corner kicks. The Tar Heels played on Wake Forest’s half most of the game, but failed passes and a scrappy Demon Deacon defense kept North Carolina from finishing its chances.

The match went into halftime scoreless, but the Demon Deacons didn’t waste any time getting on the board after intermission. Five minutes into the second half, Wake Forest’s Jackie McSally received a cross in the box and kicked the ball over Tar Heel goalie Hannah Daly’s head and into the net for a score.

Trailing the Deacs for the next 37 minutes, the Tar Heels panicked.

“I think human instinct, when you’re trying to claw your way back into something, is to basically draw on these adrenaline reserves,” Dorrance said. “And the adrenaline isn’t really a thought process; it’s a physical instinct to smash something.”

And in the 88th minute, that’s exactly what Klingenberg did.

In a last-ditch effort to stay in the game, freshman Kelly McFarlane sent a ball down the right side of the field to senior Ali Hawkins, who put it at the feet of Klingenberg with a headed flick. The 5-foot-2 midfielder shot it just inside the post for the tying goal and her fifth score of the season.

UNC’s usual rhythm was disrupted during the game, with injury likely the leading cause as the Tar Heels had to make do without five sidelined players.

Leading scorer Courtney Jones, defensive captain Rachel Givan and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Crystal Dunn were unable to contribute to the Tar Heels’ effort, but Dorrance said he hopes to have at least some of them back for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

“We’re missing a bunch of critical parts to the team,” Klingenberg said. “Everyone’s important, and Crystal means so much to the back line and so much to the front line.”

North Carolina owns 20 of 23 conference titles, but the banged-up squad will have to wait until next year to try to tack on one more.

And for the patient Dorrance, that’s just fine.

“Would we have enjoyed competing in the final again? Absolutely,” Dorrance said. “I just don’t think we can afford another injury. And the thing about Sunday is we take that risk.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.

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