North Carolina defeated the Gophers 3-0 on Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the third round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament, ending the Gophers’ deepest playoff run since 2010.
Gophers soccer’s NCAA tournament run ends in third round with 3-0 loss at North Carolina
Minnesotans Maddie Dahlien and Clare Gagne helped the 21-time NCAA champion Tar Heels end the Gophers’ season.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 25, 2024 at 1:16AM
The Tar Heels (19-5) — who have won 21 of the 42 NCAA championships awarded in women’s soccer — got first-half goals from Linda Ullmark and Evelyn Shores and a second-half goal from Olivia Thomas to earn the victory.
Forward Maddie Dahlien, a junior from Edina, assisted on Ullmark’s goal in the 16th minute and Thomas’ goal in the 56th minute.
Tar Heels goalie Clare Gagne from Orono only needed to make two saves as the Gophers (14-5-3) were shut out for only third time this season.
For Gagne, a graduate transfer who played four seasons at Brown, it was her 11th shutout of 2025. She has given up only 21 goals in 24 matches.
The Tar Heels advance to the quarterfinals against Penn State next weekend. It was the first meeting between the Gophers and Tar Heels since 1996.
Minnesota built a 21-0 lead and held off a brief surge by the Badgers to finish the regular season at 7-5. Wisconsin fell to 5-7, ending its 22-year streak of gaining bowl eligibility.
