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Sunday, November 19
Cary, N.C.
1:00 PM
Princeton University
16-2-1
2
at
1
North Carolina
17-3-2
1
2
OT 3
F
Princeton
1
0
1
2
North Carolina
1
0
0
1
Nothing Finer: No. 13 Princeton Stuns No. 2 North Carolina, Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals
November 19, 2017 | Women's Soccer
It sounds like the stuff of movie scripts.
Underdog Princeton -- ranked 13th in the country, but an underdog nonetheless -- goes to North Carolina, holder of 21 NCAA titles, ranked second in the country, and wins.
The winning goal comes, of course, in sudden-victory overtime, and it's scored by someone from, of all states, North Carolina. Princeton's third-year coach, Sean Driscoll, all week lauded one of his coaching idols, Anson Dorrance, who guided UNC to all 21 of those titles and was just down the sideline.
Sunday afternoon on the Koka Booth Stadium field at WakeMed Soccer Park, which, adding to the movie-like backstory, hosted the lone NCAA semifinal in program history 13 years ago at what is now Sahlen's Stadium one field over, that movie script played out. In the fourth minute, Vanessa Gregoire put a ball forward for Mimi Asom and UNC keeper Samantha Leshnak came out to try and boot it away, but the ball caromed off a UNC foot and rolled inside the left post. That lead lasted until the 25th minute when UNC's Bridgette Andrzejewski struck back with a rocket to tie it up.
Despite UNC outshooting Princeton 24-9 overall and 8-3 on goal for the afternoon, 1-1 is where it stayed through the entire second half and as the first overtime period wore down.
Off a Princeton goal kick with less than two minutes to go in the first OT, Asom claimed the ball just past the midfield line and sent it quickly to Natalie Larkin, who sailed a pass forward for Charlotte's own Abby Givens, who beat her UNC defender and redirected the ball mid-air as Leshnak came out, putting it into the goal.
The Tigers will move on to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second time in the era of the 64-team tournament and will play at No. 4 UCLA, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
Postgame Quotes
Sophomore forward Abby Givens
That pretty much goes down as one of the best moments of my life. That was a team effort from start to finish. Not one person did that. That was an entire team out there on the field from start to finish.
We came out at the beginning of the game hyped and ready to go, flying at them with everything that we had. (We) got the goal and that lifted us again. They came out and they scored. To their credit, they're a fantastic team, but we found a way to settle down, to play the game that we wanted to play and to get it done.
It's UNC. You can't deny the sheer magnitude that is this program, everything that they've done for women's soccer as a whole. Anson Dorrance is one of my heroes and the players that have come out of this university are top of the line. That was something that we went into the game, in the back of our mind, we had that, but it's a pretty cool feeling to come in here and to push and to dig and to grind as a team and to win against Chapel Hill.
Head coach Sean Driscoll
It's hard to actually put into words for me. Anson Dorrance is the reason I coach women's soccer. Many years ago, I had a chance to sit next to him and he inspired me to get into the profession. He took the time to talk to some new coach, and I never forgot that, so to stand across the way from, easily, my idol, was pretty overwhelming today. The opportunity to come here and get a result, honestly, it's a dream come true. I told the kids this morning, I woke up at four, I was staring at the ceiling. It was like Christmas Day, the opportunity. I wasn't nervous, I was just so excited to get a chance to play against what has been the best program in women's soccer.
I was as loud on the sideline as I've ever been, just trying to get us across the finish line, along with the rest of the coaching staff. It's an overwhelming feeling, I've got to say.
Underdog Princeton -- ranked 13th in the country, but an underdog nonetheless -- goes to North Carolina, holder of 21 NCAA titles, ranked second in the country, and wins.
The winning goal comes, of course, in sudden-victory overtime, and it's scored by someone from, of all states, North Carolina. Princeton's third-year coach, Sean Driscoll, all week lauded one of his coaching idols, Anson Dorrance, who guided UNC to all 21 of those titles and was just down the sideline.
Sunday afternoon on the Koka Booth Stadium field at WakeMed Soccer Park, which, adding to the movie-like backstory, hosted the lone NCAA semifinal in program history 13 years ago at what is now Sahlen's Stadium one field over, that movie script played out. In the fourth minute, Vanessa Gregoire put a ball forward for Mimi Asom and UNC keeper Samantha Leshnak came out to try and boot it away, but the ball caromed off a UNC foot and rolled inside the left post. That lead lasted until the 25th minute when UNC's Bridgette Andrzejewski struck back with a rocket to tie it up.
Despite UNC outshooting Princeton 24-9 overall and 8-3 on goal for the afternoon, 1-1 is where it stayed through the entire second half and as the first overtime period wore down.
Off a Princeton goal kick with less than two minutes to go in the first OT, Asom claimed the ball just past the midfield line and sent it quickly to Natalie Larkin, who sailed a pass forward for Charlotte's own Abby Givens, who beat her UNC defender and redirected the ball mid-air as Leshnak came out, putting it into the goal.
The Tigers will move on to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second time in the era of the 64-team tournament and will play at No. 4 UCLA, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
Postgame Quotes
Sophomore forward Abby Givens
That pretty much goes down as one of the best moments of my life. That was a team effort from start to finish. Not one person did that. That was an entire team out there on the field from start to finish.
We came out at the beginning of the game hyped and ready to go, flying at them with everything that we had. (We) got the goal and that lifted us again. They came out and they scored. To their credit, they're a fantastic team, but we found a way to settle down, to play the game that we wanted to play and to get it done.
It's UNC. You can't deny the sheer magnitude that is this program, everything that they've done for women's soccer as a whole. Anson Dorrance is one of my heroes and the players that have come out of this university are top of the line. That was something that we went into the game, in the back of our mind, we had that, but it's a pretty cool feeling to come in here and to push and to dig and to grind as a team and to win against Chapel Hill.
Head coach Sean Driscoll
It's hard to actually put into words for me. Anson Dorrance is the reason I coach women's soccer. Many years ago, I had a chance to sit next to him and he inspired me to get into the profession. He took the time to talk to some new coach, and I never forgot that, so to stand across the way from, easily, my idol, was pretty overwhelming today. The opportunity to come here and get a result, honestly, it's a dream come true. I told the kids this morning, I woke up at four, I was staring at the ceiling. It was like Christmas Day, the opportunity. I wasn't nervous, I was just so excited to get a chance to play against what has been the best program in women's soccer.
I was as loud on the sideline as I've ever been, just trying to get us across the finish line, along with the rest of the coaching staff. It's an overwhelming feeling, I've got to say.
Team Stats
PRIN
NC
Goals
2
1
Shots
8
24
Shots on Goal
3
8
Saves
7
1
Corners
2
4
Fouls
11
8
Scoring Plays
TEAM
goalkeeper attempted to clear, kicked of
3:49
B. Andrzejewski (8)
Assisted By: Zoe Redei , Dorian Bailey
ball headed on to 4, rocket past goalie
24:56
Givens, Abby (11)
Assisted By: Larkin, Natalie , Asom, Mimi
pass to right, kick down the center, jus
98:18
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
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