NCAA Tournament Bracket
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – For the fourth consecutive season, at least four Atlantic Coast Conference teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, as four teams sealed their spots with second-round victories on Friday. The four teams remaining are the most among all conferences.
All five second-round matches featuring ACC teams were decided by one goal. Top seeds Florida State and Clemson continued their winning ways and will host third-round matchups, while No. 3 seed North Carolina edged No. 6 seed Alabama in a matchup that featured a pair of College Cup teams from 2022. Seventh-seeded Pitt earned a spot in the Round of 16 for the second straight season after a late game winner, while Notre Dame saw its season come to an end with a 3-2 setback to sixth-seeded Memphis.
The NCAA Tournament continues Sunday with third-round action. Every match will broadcast live on ESPN+.
No. 3 North Carolina 1, No. 6 Alabama 0
The 2023 ACC Midfielder of the Year Ally Sentnor scored the match’s only goal, as her 19th-minute strike was the difference to send the Tar Heels to their 28th Round of 16 in program history. The goal was Sentnor’s ninth tally of the season, as she now ties for the team lead.
The UNC backline held Alabama without a shot on goal for the match and just four shots total. It was the first time all season the Crimson Tide were not able to attempt on shot on goal. On the opposite end, the Tar Heels totaled 15 shots with nine going on frame.
The Tar Heels will now face the No. 2 seed Texas Tech on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders advanced past seventh-seeded Princeton following penalty kicks (4-3).
No. 6 Memphis 3, No. 3 Notre Dame 2
Despite outshooting the opposition 21-16 on the evening, third-seeded Notre Dame was eliminated by sixth-seeded Memphis on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Fighting Irish end the 2023 campaign with a record of 12-4-4.
After allowing a 16th-minute goal, Notre Dame responded in the 44th minute when Meg Mrowicki knocked in a Kristin Lynch cross to even the score at 1-1 at halftime. The Tigers answered with back-to-back goals in the 76th and 77th minute to eventually put the match away, despite a late goal from Maddie Mercado in the 79th minute. Mercado paced the Irish in shots with five with two were on target. Goalkeeper Atlee Olofson made five saves on the evening.
No. 1 Clemson 2, No. 8 Columbia 1
Megan Bornkamp and Renee Lyles tallied first-half goals to give the hosts an early 2-0 advantage and the backline held off a late Columbia rally, as Clemson advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2020.
Bornkamp and Lyles each finished with a goal and an assist on the evening, while Emily Brough was also credited with an assist on Lyles’ 32nd-minute goal that eventually became the game winner. Before Lyles’ tally, the Tigers got on the scoreboard first in the 29th minute when Bornkamp netted her fourth goal of the year.
The Lions were able to jump back into the match in the 62nd minute, but the Clemson defense held the visitors to just three off-target shots for the remainder of the match and sealed the win. The 2023 ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Halle Mackiewicz earned the win needing to make just one save.
The Tigers will host fourth-seeded Georgia on Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs edged fifth-seeded Iowa, 3-2. Clemson and Georgia met earlier this year on Sept. 15 and the teams played to a 1-1 draw inside Historic Riggs Field.
No. 1 Florida State 1, No. 8 Texas A&M 0
Led by a Jordynn Dudley highlight-reel game-winning goal and a pair of key second-half saves from Cristina Roque, top-seeded Florida State will make its 21st appearance in the third round. The Seminoles remained unbeaten on the season, as they improved to 18-0-1.
Dudley, who was named the 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season, recorded her 11th goal of the season in the 55th minute. After juggling around a pair of Aggie defenders, Dudley beat the goalkeeper to her left and gave FSU a second half lead it would not relinquish. Dudley’s 11 goals are third-most scored by a Seminole freshman in program history.
Roque totaled a season-high five saves on the evening, as she collected her 37th career shutout, the fourth-most among active Division I goalkeepers. The five saves are the most stops made by Roque since her five-save effort in FSU’s 1-0 win over Arkansas in last season’s NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
The Seminoles will take on fifth-seeded Texas on Sunday at 5:30 p.m., who upended fourth-seeded Wisconsin, 2-1. This will be just the second time Florida State and Texas will meet on the pitch, as FSU defeated the Longhorns, 4-0, in the 2007 NCAA Tournament Round of 16. In the season, the Seminoles advanced to the national title match.
No. 7 Pitt 4, No. 2 Arkansas 3
After Ellie Coffield equalized in the 77th minute, Coffield found the back of the net again off a header in the 89th minute to send Pitt to the Round of 16 for the second straight season. With their four goals in Friday’s victory, the Panthers are currently the highest scoring team in the NCAA Tournament with 10 total goals.
Coffield’s brace is the first of her collegiate career, as she has scored three goals in her two NCAA Tournament matches. Amanda West scored Pitt’s opening goal to claim her 50th tally of her career, tying her for the second most among active Division I players. Keera Melenhorst also notched a goal for just her second tally of the season and first since Sept. 3 against Bowling Green. Midfielder Landy Mertz tallied a pair of assists on the evening, as she has totaled five assists for the tournament.
Pitt struck first in the 18th minute when West found the back of the net from a Mertz assist. Despite the early goal, the Razorbacks answered in the 20th minute with an equalizer and eventually took their first lead in the 33rd minute. Facing their first deficit of the tournament, the Panthers answered with Melenhorst’s right-footed equalizer, as the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 2-2.
Arkansas regained the lead in the 69th minute, but Coffield’s pair of goals proved to be the difference. The midfielder scored in the 77th minute from a free kick just outside the Razorback box, as her shot beat the Arkansas goalkeeper to her right. Coffield then scored the game winner on a corner kick from Sarah Schupansky, as the goal came with just 1:25 remaining.
The Panthers will face sixth-seeded Memphis on Sunday at 7 p.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as they look to advance to the fourth round for the first time in program history.
2023 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament
First Round | Friday, Nov. 10
#1 Florida State 5, Morehead State 0
#3 North Carolina 3, Towson 1
#1 Clemson 2, Radford 0
First Round | Saturday, Nov. 11
#3 Notre Dame 2, Valparaiso 0
#7 Pitt 6, Ohio State 0
Second Round | Friday, Nov. 17
#3 North Carolina 1, vs. #6 Alabama 0
at #1 Clemson 2, #8 Columbia 1
at #1 Florida State 1, #8 Texas A&M 0
#7 Pitt 4, at #2 Arkansas 3
vs. #6 Memphis 3, #3 Notre Dame 2
Third Round | Sunday, Nov. 19
#3 North Carolina at #2 Texas Tech | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
#4 Georgia at #1 Clemson | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
#5 Texas at #1 Florida State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+
#7 Pitt vs. #6 Memphis (Fayetteville, Ark.) | 7 p.m. | ESPN+