CARY, N.C. — North Carolina women’s soccer chases yet another league title Sunday at noon, as the second-ranked Tar Heels take on No. 10 Virginia in the ACC Tournament final at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Carolina comes in at 16-2-0 and earned the No. 2 seed after going 8-1 in league play during the regular season. A 1-0 win over Duke in the semifinals sent it through. The Tar Heels have scored 51 goals, the most in the ACC, and have outscored opponents 52-13 overall.
Virginia, at 11-3-4, arrives on a defensive tear. The Cavaliers shut out No. 10 Florida State 3-0 in the quarterfinal round and then No. 4 Notre Dame 1-0, running their streak of clean sheets to four, and they have not allowed a goal since an Oct. 22 match against Clemson. Their 10 goals allowed in 18 games are the fewest in the conference, and goalkeeper Victoria Safradin leads the league with nine shutouts.
The matchup pits that back line against Bella Devey, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, who leads the conference with 17 goals. Lilliah Blum, who scored twice against Duke, paces the Tar Heels with six assists. On the other side, Addison Halpern leads Virginia with 12 goals and five assists and scored the winner against Notre Dame.
History favors the Tar Heels. North Carolina holds a 42-5-5 all-time edge in the series and is 8-1-2 against Virginia at neutral sites. Across the event’s history, Carolina is 74-10-6 with 22 championships. Virginia is 1-5-2 in ACC title matches, and its 2004 crown was won in a shootout after a 1-1 tie with the Tar Heels.
The final airs on ESPNU.
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