In first game back with UNC, Trinity Armstrong leads upset of No. 1-seed Duke in ACC semifinals

CARY — Aria Nagai jogged to the far corner flag. She placed the ball on the white paint. She took a few steps back and then a few to her left.

While her teammates jostled for position with Duke defenders in the six-yard box, Trinity Armstrong lurked on the edge of the 18. 

She was unmarked. She looked at Nagai.

“I locked eyes with her,” Armstrong said. “I completely zoned out.”

Nagai floated in a high cross. Armstrong was determined and made her move. She ran into the fray and rose above the Blue Devil defense. Her thundering header went through the legs of midfielders Nicky Chico and Hannah Bebar and bounced past ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Leah Freeman into the back of the net.

In Thursday night's ACC tournament semifinals, No. 4-seeded North Carolina completed a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over No. 1-seeded Duke at WakeMed Soccer Park. Armstrong’s goal in the 81st minute proved to be the winner. UNC lost its previous two matches against Duke this season but remains undefeated at 13-0-1 against the Blue Devils in the conference tournament after last night's upset. 

The header is Armstrong’s first goal of her college career. The first-year defender was named to both the All-ACC First Team and the ACC All-Freshman Team, becoming the first Tar Heel since Alessia Russo in 2017 to earn both honors in the same season. Top Drawer Soccer ranked her fourth on its Midseason Top 100 Freshman list.

Armstrong reclassified to come to Chapel Hill a year early. She should still be a senior in high school. She's only 17-years-old.

“It’s not about age,” interim head coach Damon Nahas said. “It’s about talent and ambition.” 

In the first 13 games this season, the Tar Heels went 12-1 and allowed only 0.69 goals per match with Armstrong anchoring the back line. 

She left the team on Oct. 3 to report for international duty with the United States U-17 Youth National Team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The team won Bronze, and Armstrong played every minute of all six games. She also was part of the team that won the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship in February to send Team USA to the World Cup. She has 10 caps for her country.

“Obviously we didn’t want to lose her,” Nahas said. “But we were seeing her on a high stage, and she’s going to be there for a long time.”

In the games they played without Armstrong, the Tar Heels were 3-3 and allowed 1.33 goals a game.

Armstrong arrived back with the team Monday night after UNC’s first-round ACC tournament win over Virginia Tech. She wasn’t tired. She was focused on another shot at Duke.

“I knew that we wanted to take it to them,” Armstrong said. “I wanted to be on the field to be able to help the team as best I could."

In the 71st minute Thursday, the score tied at one, Duke's Bebar swung a corner into the box. UNC goalkeeper Clare Gagne came off her line but couldn’t punch the ball away. It fell to Blue Devil forward Farrah Walters. She put a shot on frame.

But Armstrong was there. She controlled the ball on the goal line and cleared it away. Perfect place at a crucial time to keep the game level. 

Armstrong is mature beyond her years. She has a high soccer IQ and studies the game. 

“She puts me on my toes,” Nahas said. “She has a lot of really good questions. She’s always asking, and she’s striving to be better and better.”

Armstrong saved the game. And less than 10 minutes later, she won the game. 

“I’ve been trying to get this header for so long,” she said. “I was trying to get it here, and I was trying to get it with the U.S. And I’m just glad it happened here in such a pivotal moment.”

After the final whistle, Armstrong ran over to her teammates jumping with joy. They absorbed her in a group hug.

Then they lifted her up. Just like she had lifted them.

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