By Associated Press

CARY — Kate Faasse scored on an early penalty kick, Olivia Thomas added a first-half goal and North Carolina eliminated top-seed Duke 3-0 in the nightcap of the College Cup semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park on Friday night.

North Carolina (21-5), which has appeared in all 43 NCAA tournaments and won 21 of them, will square off against first-timer Wake Forest on Monday. The Demon Deacons beat Stanford 1-0 in the other semifinal.

Faasse staked the second-seeded and eighth-ranked Tar Heels to a 1-0 lead just 9:25 in after a foul on Duke defender Nicole Chico. Faasse leads the nation with 20 goals.

North Carolina took a two-goal lead into halftime when Thomas took a pass from Bella Gaetino and scored at 23:55.

It was the eighth goal of the campaign for Thomas and the second assist for Gaetino.

Maddie Dahlien made it 3-0 in the 59th minute with an assist from Faasse. It was the first goal this season for Dahlien and the third helper for Faasse.

Clare Gagne had five saves in the shutout effort for the Tar Heels. Leah Freeman saved two shots for Duke.

Now that’s how you secure your spot in the National Championship. 👑

📺 @uncwomenssoccer x ESPNU

pic.twitter.com/RBEXOrVypk

— The ACC (@theACC) December 7, 2024

Duke (18-3-1) was playing in its fifth College Cup and first since 2017 with 29 overall appearances. The No. 1 Blue Devils entered as the top seed for the first time but fell to 6-45-5 all time versus UNC.

Blue Devils coach Robbie Church announced he will retire at the end of the season and turn the reins over to associate head coach Kieran Hall. He finishes with 398 career victories.

The Blue Devils (18-3-1) beat the Tar Heels twice during the regular season for the first time in program history before losing 2-1 to them in the semifinal match of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

North Carolina beat Wake Forest 1-0 at home in the only matchup this season.

Source: wralsportsfan.com