SYRACUSE, N.Y. –  Junior forward Paige Nielsen scored her fourth game-winning goal of the season and Summer Green had a goal and an assist to give fifth-ranked North Carolina a 2-1 overtime victory at Syracuse Sunday afternoon.  With the victory, Carolina staked its claim to a share of the ACC regular-season championship with Florida State as both teams finished 9-0-1 in the standings.  This marks Carolina’s first ACC regular-season title since 2010 when it won it outright and it marks the 21st time in history that UNC has won or tied for first place during the regular year.

 

Carolina will now prepare for the 2014 ACC Women’s Soccer Championship that will be played Friday and Sunday, November 7 and 9 at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.  UNC and FSU tied for first place but the Seminoles are the tournament’s top seed based on goal differential in regular season league games.  The defending ACC Tournament champion Seminoles will play fourth-seeded Notre Dame Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the first semifinal game.  Second-seeded North Carolina and third-seeded Virginia will play in the second semifinal game at 8 p.m.  Both games Friday will be telecast on ESPN3.  The two semifinal winners will advance to Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m.  That game will be telecast on ESPNU.

 

Neither of the semifinal games Friday is a repeat of a regular season game because league teams played only 10 of 13 conference foes in the regular season.

 

With the win on Sunday, UNC finishes its regular season at 12-2-2 and 9-0-1 in the ACC.  Since starting the season 1-2-1, Carolina has gone 11-0-1 in its last 12 games with only a tie against #2-ranked Florida State marring a perfect slate in that stretch.  UNC has not lost since falling at #17 Pepperdine by a 1-0 score on August 31.  Syracuse’s season came to an end with a 5-10-4 record and a 2-7-1 mark in the ACC.

 

Despite that record, the Orange gave Carolina all it could handle Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 563 fans at SU Soccer Stadium.

 

In the ninth minute, SU goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan made her first save of the game on a header by Satara Murray off a cross by Katie Bowen.  In the 15th minute, the Tar Heels had a nice offensive buildup but Joanna Boyles’ shot was high.  Just over two minutes later, however, Carolina took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Summer Green, assisted by Amber Munerlyn.  Green calmly slotted home a shot from just inside the 18-yard box into the left corner of the net at the 16:38 mark.

 

Syracuse had a couple of nice chances to earn the tying goal before halftime with breakaway opportunities but in both instances was unable to convert after Murray tracked back to put heavy defensive pressure on the SU attackers.

 

Both Emily Bruder and Amber Munerlyn had breakaway chances early in the second half but Bruder’s shot hit the near post from a difficult angle with 33 minutes remaining and Munerlyn’s shot went high with 28 minutes to play.  In the 70th minute, Satara Murray served a ball to Green in the box after a long penetrating run up the flank but Brosnan came out to make the save on the play.

 

Syracuse would eventually take advantage of Carolina’s failure to tack on a second goal as in the 72nd minute Maya Pitts scored from the right side of the box from eight yards out past Tar Heel goalkeeper Lindsey Harris.  Stephanie Skilton had the ball in the middle of the penalty area and slipped a pass to Pitts who finished into the left side of the net.

 

After a shot by Sarah Ashley Firstenberg hit the cross bar in the 73rd minute off a serve by Boyles, neither team was able to generate much offense over the final 17 minutes of regulation.

 

Carolina would not be denied, however, in extra time, as it improved to 3-1-2 in overtime this season.  Paige Nielsen finished off a cross by Summer Green with a secondary assist going to Joanna Boyles, her team-leading seventh this year.  Nielsen took a pass from Green in the right side of the box and finished into the left corner to give the Tar Heels the victory.  The goal came at 95:44.

 

With the win, Carolina improved to 9-2 in games decided by one goal this season.  Eleven of UNC’s 16 regular-season contests were decided by a single goal and two more ended in ties.  The only exceptions were 3-0 wins over Wake Forest, Duke and Miami.

 

The Tar Heels outshot the Orange 12-3 on the day and had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.  Brosnan finished with four saves for the Orange.

 

Head coach Anson Dorrance again made generous use of his bench personnel as all 20 players on the trip played.  Syracuse used two substitutes with nine of its 11 starters going all 96 minutes.