It’s rare the descriptor “Cinderella team” appears in the same sentence as the UNC women’s soccer team. As anyone who follows college women’s soccer or UNC athletics knows, the Heels are the gold standard
in the sport. Carolina has won 23 national championships and 22 ACC championships. The professional ranks and United States national team is full of former UNC players. While UNC’s dominance has not been quite as total the past ten years, the Heels did win the 2024 title and started this season ranked first in nation; they’re hardly anyone’s definition of an underdog team.
Yet when sixth-seeded Texas Tech’s last penalty kick sailed over the crossbar to secure UNC’s advancement to the Sweet 16 it felt like watching a Cinderella team advance. To be sure, I doubt any of UNC’s opponents saw them as a scrappy underdog. Still, UNC has now defeated two seeded teams in a row after entering the NCAA tournament as an unseeded team. Linda Ullmark delivered a beautiful strike from distance that somehow threaded its way through traffic and got the Heels on the board in the 58th minute. Macy Blackburn scored less than three minutes later to tie things up, and neither team was able to get a winning goal in regulation or through two overtime periods. UNC made four of their five penalty kicks to advance as goalkeeper Hannah Johann made diving save on Texas Tech’s first penalty shot to help secure the win.
And now, the sport’s goliath will continue to don Cinderella’s shoes for another game. Up next for the Heels is second-seeded TCU, who has looked downright dominant. The Horned Frogs have the best goal differential in the tournament so far and have had little trouble in dispatching Grambling and Memphis. TCU will hope to strike midnight on UNC’s unexpected run; here’s hoping the Heels can keep dancing a little longer.
