CHAPEL HILL
North Carolina didn't waste much time ending Wake Forest's season in women's soccer.
The Deacons advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in the 16-year history of the program, but they couldn't pull off the upset yesterday to advance to their first Women's College Cup.
The Tar Heels scored three first-half goals and held the Deacons (16-6-2) to seven shots to win 5-2 and advance to the final four for the 25th time in the 28-year history of NCAA play.
The Deacons praised their opponent, which has won 24 of 25 meetings, but also felt good about a 16-6-2 season.
"We were in the top 10, top 15 all season," Coach Tony da Luz said. "It shows that our body of work, from the beginning to the end, we didn't lose to anybody we shouldn't have lost to. It was a really, really consistent group."
Kaley Fountain, a senior forward from Austin, Texas, scored Wake Forest's first goal, cutting the lead to 3-1 early in the second half. She thinks the future is bright for the program, which finished its 13th season under da Luz.
"We had a great group of freshmen come in that just picked up everyone," Fountain said. "And our senior class has been great leaders. I know that making it this far is just going to carry on."
The Tar Heels (21-3-1) carried on their strong tradition behind a hat trick from leading scorer Casey Nogueira.
She scored in the fourth minute on a header and responded to Fountain's goal with scores from each foot, giving her 12 goals this season and four in her past two NCAA Tournament games.
UNC's lead grew to 2-0 on a goal by Courtney Jones that stunned Wake Forest keeper Amanda Barasha. Jones turned on a bouncing header from Lucy Bronze and volleyed a shot from the right side of the penalty box.
"I just thought it was hit so hard that she just couldn't react," Coach Anson Dorrance of UNC said. "That ball was pummeled."
The score also served to handcuff the Deacons, da Luz said. He could live with a 1-0 deficit, especially with his team playing against the wind in the first half.
"That's an unpredictable shot," da Luz said. "She hit it great. Our goalkeeper was a little out of position, and she just got caught off-step. It was a complete surprise. I'm disappointed that we gave up that second one, and that third one before halftime really killed it. You just can't give up three goals against Carolina and expect to win the game."
Although Wake Forest closed to 3-1 when Fountain scored on a back pass from Sarah Winslow, that two-goal margin, and any hope for a rally, died quickly at the feet of Nogueira. She added to her team-leading goals total less than a minute after Fountain scored, making it 4-1 on a long, unassisted shot over the head of Barasha, who was off her line.
Less than three minutes later, Nogueira dribbled in and scored with a low, hard, left-footed shot that Barasha deflected but could not stop. It was Nogueira's 12th goal of the season.
Winslow scored unassisted for the Deacons with about 17 minutes left, and da Luz said he was happy that his team continued to fight.
"They never gave up and tried to score," he said. "They got us to a place where we had never been before.
Although Wake Forest has a 1-24 record against UNC, Dorrance said he has seen the Deacons improve greatly over the years.
"That's probably, in my opinion, the best Wake Forest team I've ever seen," Dorrance said.
UNC will play Notre Dame, a 2-0 winner over Florida State, in the national semifinals Dec. 4.
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