No. 2 North Carolina beats No. 4 Florida State 2-1 on the road in crucial ACC tilt

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Redshirt freshman Ally Sentnor scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute and No. 2 North Carolina beat No. 4 Florida State 2-1 Thursday night to move into a tie for the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) standings. (Box Score)

With two defenders on her, Sentnor raced toward the left side of the penalty area and rifled a left-footed shot into the back of the net. Carolina (13-3, 6-2 ACC) has won four in a row and moved into a three-way tie for first place with Notre Dame and Florida State.

“Even though Ally is just over a year out from her ACL, her elite game is starting to return,” UNC head coach Anson Dorrance said. “One shot she created resulted in a penalty kick and the other tore through one of the best goalkeepers in the country.”

A HUGE conference road win for the Tar Heels as we near the end of the regular season!

Check out some of the biggest plays from tonight's game ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Jf0mPrSX0T

— UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) October 21, 2022

UNC senior Tori Hansen tied the match in 32nd minute on a penalty kick after the Seminoles (10-2-2) were whistled for a hand ball on a shot inside the box by Sentnor.

Six days earlier, Hansen scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick to give the Tar Heels’ 1-0 win over Wake Forest.

UNC redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emmie Allen recorded three saves after allowing the initial goal. FSU goalie Cristinia Roque made six saves.

The Seminoles became the first team to out-shoot the Tar Heels this season, 17-12, but Carolina had twice as many shots on goal as Florida State, 8-4.

“This was a gritty, total team performance,” Dorrance said. “Tragically we keep losing players, but there is a next one up mentality and today Emerson Elgin and Paige Tolentino stepped up and helped us slow down one of the best attacks in the country. They were not alone. Everyone we played contributed and the bench energy was like a 12th man we needed in hostile territory.”

Onyi Echegini scored the opening goal in the fifth minute for the Seminoles as her shot snuck past the diving Allen into the lower right corner of the goal.

The Tar Heels return to action Sunday, Oct. 23, at Miami. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.