CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After a hard-fought battle on Saturday afternoon, BYU women’s soccer fell to the UNC Tar Heels 3-2 in the Sweet 16, ending the 2022 season. 

“It’s always tough to lose, especially when it ends your season,” said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “We have had such a fantastic season and we have come so far. We were up against a very good, very talented North Carolina team and I think we gave them all they could barely handle. I really thought we could get that tying goal there at the end with all our momentum, but hats off to UNC because they are a fantastic team. It’s so fun for our girls to be out here in such a great environment for college women’s soccer. I’m really proud of this team, and we have a lot to look forward to in the future with all the experience we gained this year and so many girls returning next season.”

For just the second time this year, the Cougars were out-shot on the pitch. UNC out-shot BYU 19-10 in today’s match, and also led in goals on frame with nine to BYU’s six. Both team’s goalkeeper’s posted crucial saves, with Savanna Mason recording six and Carolina's Emmie Allen with four. Cougar midfielder Olivia Wade and freshman forward Allie Fryer scored the two goals for BYU in today's matchup.

Both BYU and UNC came onto the pitch with strong offensive pressure, but it was the Cougars who saw the first good look with a Bella Folino shot off a corner kick, forcing a diving save by Allen.

The Tar Heels answered back in the seventh minute with a dangerous shot inside BYU’s penalty box, missing just right of the post. North Carolina continued to press BYU’s backline, and were the first up on the board with a Talia Dellapuruta goal in the 13th minute for the 1-0 lead.

In the ensuing minutes, the Cougars ramped up their defensive game to find the equalizer in the 19th minute. Folino ran all the way back into BYU’s defensive half to steal the ball from a UNC player and send the ball up the pitch to Wade, who dribbled the ball into the 18 and fired a left-footed shot to find the back of the net, bringing the score to 1-1. The goal marked Wade’s second of the NCAA tournament and ninth of the 2022 season.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, UNC’s Madeline Dahlien rocketed a shot from the top of the penalty box, punched out by BYU's Mason. 

Both offenses played an aggressive first half, with eight shots by the Tar Heels and six shots from the Cougars, with three a piece shot on frame. Both team's defensive lines and goalkeepers posted important saves, holding the score at a 1-1 draw heading into halftime.

UNC came into the second half with an even tighter press on BYU’s backline as the Cougars struggled clearing the ball out of their defensive third. A line-drive shot from UNC forced Mason to make her third save of the match in the 56th minute.

In the 58th minute, a UNC cross found the head of Avery Patterson, punched out by Mason. Despite the save off the first shot, North Carolina’s Dahlien found the back of the net on the follow-up, putting the Tar Heels back on top 2-1. 

The Tar Heels continued to put the pressure on, finding the back of the net to extend their lead 3-1 in the 65th minute. Dahlien put the ball between the posts for her second goal of the match with a left-footed shot that bounced under the arms of Mason.

As the Cougars fought back, a long ball was sent down the field to Fryer, who collected and rocketed a shot from outside the 18, sending the ball into the back of the net in the 69th minute to close the gap 3-2. Fryer’s goal against the Tar Heels marks her ninth goal as a true freshman for BYU.

With the Cougars fighting for another goal to tie up the game, the Tar Heels looked to widen the gap with two more dangerous shots defended well by BYU. With just four minutes remaining in regulation, a well-placed cross by Zoe Jacobs found the head of Rachel McCarthy, tipped over to Fryer for a shot saved by Allen.

Despite a final push by the Cougars, they were unable to capitalize on their shots, falling to the UNC Tar Heels 3-2 in the Sweet 16 on Dorrance Field.

The Cougars finished their 2022 season with an 11-3-7 record, going undefeated in West Coast Conference play, 6-0-3. This season marks the fifth year in a row with five losses or less, dating back to 2018 After making it to the College Cup finals in 2021, this tournament appearance marks back-to-back seasons with the Cougars in the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, and sixth time overall. Brecken Mozingo finished the 2022 season with the most goals (12), assists (10), points (34) and shots (109) for BYU. 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 6 seed BYU women's soccer will face No. 2 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 at Dorrance Field on Saturday morning. 

Saturday’s matchup has been scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST. The game will be carried live on BYURadio.org, the BYU Radio app and BYU Radio 107.9 FM. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY. Under the direction of head coach Jennifer Rockwood, BYU has previously made 22 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights and a College Cup finals appearance last season. BYU was the No. 12 seed last year and finished as the NCAA College Cup National Runner-Up, falling in penalty kicks in the championship game. 

LAST TIME ON THE PITCH. BYU last competed against Stanford on Thursday, Nov. 17 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at Dorrance Field. After playing through two overtime periods with a 1-1 draw, the Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 on PKs, 5-4. Olivia Wade opened the scoring with a goal in the fourth minute. The Cardinal answered back with a goal of their own in the 22nd minute. The rest of the game and the 20 minutes of overtime passed without goals by either team, forcing penalty kicks. Freshman goalkeeper Taygan Sill came onto the pitch just for the shootout, and came up with a huge stop. With a final goal by BYU midfielder Ellie Maughan, the Cougars advanced.

BYU NOTES (11-2-7, 6-0-3)

• BYU was ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest Top Drawer Soccer College National Rankings
• Mozingo leads the Cougars in goals (12), assists (10) and points (34)
• As a true freshman, Fryer has the second-most goals on the season (8)
• Mozingo finds herself in the BYU record book with 10 assists in a single season, which is tied for fourth-highest in BYU history. She is now ranked No. 4 in most shots in a season, with 104, right behind former Cougar Sara Reading's 107. With three multi-goal games this season, Mozingo is also tied for fourth-most multi-goal games amongst Cougars.
• Fryer also finds herself in the record book with eight goals in a single season as a true freshman, which is tied for sixth-highest in BYU history
• BYU’s last game against North Carolina was an exhibition game to start the 2022 season. The Tar Heels won 2-0 on Dorrance Field.

Head Coach - Jennifer Rockwood

• Record at BYU: 435-125-54
• 28th season as head coach of BYU
• Seventh in NCAA Division I active career winning percentage (.754)  

NORTH CAROLINA NOTES. (17-4-1, 8-2)

• North Carolina finished its regular season ranked No. 2 nationally
• The Tar Heels last played Georgia in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 17 and won 3-1
• Avery Patterson leads her team in goals (11) and points (27)
• Redshirt freshman Ally Sentnor scored two goals against Georgia to help her team push past Georgia to round three

Head Coach - Anson Dorrance

• Record as head coach at UNC: 918-85-45
• 44th season as head coach at North Carolina
• Dorrance has been the only head coach in program history for UNC women’s soccer 
• Dorrance has won a combined 1,172 games at his alma mater, while coaching the men and women
• The women’s soccer program has produced 21 of UNC’s 47 NCAA championships, which ranks the fifth-most by any program in NCAA Division I history

COUGARS VS. TAR HEELS. The Cougars and Tar Heels have played two times previously, once in the 2012 NCAA Quarterfinals, and once as an exhibition match to open the 2022 season. BYU has never won a game against North Carolina. The 2012 game was played on South Field and went into double overtime before current U.S. Women’s National player, Crystal Dunn, notched a goal in the 107th minute to finish the game.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Saturday, November 19, at 11:30 a.m. EST on Dorrance Field
• Radio: BYURadio.org/BYU Radio App/BYU Radio 107.9 FM
• Radio play-by-play: Jason Shepherd
• TV Stream: ESPN+