CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –  Third-seeded South Carolina got a first half goal from Raina Johnson to prevail against second-seeded North Carolina 1-0 in NCAA Tournament third round action Sunday at rainy Fetzer Field.

 

With the victory, the Gamecocks advance to the NCAA quarterfinals where they will face either Florida State or Central Florida next weekend.  South Carolina improved to 14-5-5 on the season with the victory while the Tar Heels saw their season end at 14-4-2.

 

Carolina had played an inordinate number of close games all year as this was the 15th game out of 20 to be decided either by one goal or end in a tie.  The Tar Heels finished 10-3 in one-goal games this season but did not have enough to get past the Gamecocks Sunday.

 

Both teams played overtime in the NCAA second round on Friday, but the Gamecocks definitely came out the fresher team against the Tar Heels on Sunday.  Just 28 seconds into the match Johnson got behind the UNC defense on the left side and had an open shot from 12 yards out that Bryane Heaberlin was able to gobble up.  In the seventh minute, UNC almost went up 1-0 as Summer Green took a long ball from Jessie Scarpa and dribbled into the right side of the box but her tough angle shot sailed just to the left of the far post.

 

The Gamecocks broke through with a goal by Raina Johnson in the 23rd minute and that would end up being the difference.  Johnson took a shot from 22 yards out that skimmed along the ground with pace, hitting the lower right post.  Heaberlin dove to get the ball before it squirted away but on the slick surface it found its way across the line for the eventual game winner.

 

South Carolina carried the action the rest of the half and had another couple of excellent chances to score but headers by Chelsea Drennan at 29:27 and by Coryn Bajema at 36:09 went high.  Lindsey Lane also had a good look at goal at 37:01 but Heaberlin came up with a big stop to keep UNC’s deficit at one.  The Gamecocks outshot the Tar Heels 7-3 in the first half.

 

The Gamecocks continued to carry the play in the early stages of the second half, taking three shots in a span of four minutes with Lindsey Harris, who came on at halftime, making a pair of saves.

 

South Carolina took its final shot of the game with 28:33 to play on a header by Drennan.  North Carolina would control the rest of the game possession wise and take the final five shots of the match but it was unable to gain the equalizer.

 

The Tar Heels gained six second half corner kicks and almost scored off won in the 79th minute but Paige Nielsen’s header was saved by Abbey Crider.  The Tar Heels had three shots in the final two minutes of play including one by Joanna Boyles with 37 seconds to play from about 10 yards out that Crider saved.

 

USC finished with an 11-9 edge in shots while Carolina had a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.

 

North Carolina, which shared the regular-season ACC championship with Florida State and earned an NCAA Tournament No. 2 seed, loses Satara Murray, Taylor Ramirez, Kat Nigro, Bianca Gray and Sarah Thompson to graduation as well as another trio of seniors – Caitlin Ball, Alexa Newfield and Brooke Elby who had season ending injuries over the past several months.  Murray was the only senior starter at the end of the season but Coach Anson Dorrance will have 10 starters back as well as two-year defensive starter Hanna Gardner who medically red-shirted in 2014.