Penn State responded two minutes later to cut the lead to 8-7, but the Tar Heels stifled a potential run, scoring four-straight goals to put the score at 12-7, a margin that would be difficult for the Nittany Lions to come back from.
But Penn State tried its best, scoring the next four goals of the game to climb within one goal. With the game on the line, North Carolina went back to a slow pace, and was able to hang on until the final horn sounded.
Who stood out?
After coming into the game 21:47 left in the first half, Waters proved why she is one of the top goalies in the country. After her stellar end of the first half, the junior from Darien, Conn., picked up five saves in the second to keep the Nittany Lions from tying the game.
She came up big in the game's most critical moments, saving a few free position shots along the way, but her biggest moment came with under a minute left in the game.
After North Carolina turned the ball over with 1:30 left, Penn State marched down the field to try and tie the game. With around 45 seconds left, Nittany Lion junior Steph Lazo found room in front of the cage and fired one toward the bottom-left corner. Waters reacted quickly, getting her stick to the shot and securing possession for her team.
On the offensive end, junior midfielder Carly Reed continued her hot streak. Coming into the game, Reed had started six consecutive games, and picked up 14 goals in that span. On Friday, she tallied five goals, tying her career high while leading the UNC attack. No other Tar Heel had more than two goals.
When was it decided?
After an illegal stick penalty was called on Molly Hendricks on what would have been a momentum-shifting goal for the Tar Heels, Penn State rattled off two goals to cut the score to 12-11 with 7:12 remaining in the game.
From there, UNC won the draw control and started to slow things down to almost a standstill. North Carolina kept possession for the next five and a half minutes before finally turning the ball over with 1:30 remaining, but the damage had been done. After the Nittany Lions came up empty on their ensuing offensive possession, there was barely any time to get the ball back and score again.
Why does it matter?
Back in February, the Tar Heels picked up their only two losses of the season — a 16-15 loss to Maryland and a 8-7 defeat to Florida. But heading into Friday's game, North Carolina had won six-straight one goal games.
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The contest against Penn State was another nail-biting finish, and yet again the Tar Heels prevailed. In the NCAA Tournament, the level of opponent is raised exponentially, and playing in — and coming out on top — in close games should give UNC confidence that it's never completely out of a game until the clock hits zero.
Where do they play next?
The Tar Heels will play the winner of Maryland and Syracuse at noon Sunday. If North Carolina comes out on top Sunday, it will be the team's second ever national title win.
@jbo_vernon
sports@dailytarheel.com
