North Carolina’s final regular-season home game ended in frustration Friday night, as Wake Forest walked out of Karen Shelton Stadium with a 4-3 win over the No. 9 Tar Heels.
UNC (9-6, 5-2 ACC) pushed the No. 10 Demon Deacons every step of the way and led twice in the first half, but Wake Forest answered after the break with three goals to flip the game. It was the first time since 2021 that Carolina dropped its final regular season home game.
Ryleigh Heck was the bright spot for the Tar Heels, delivering two excellent first-half goals to help UNC take a 2-1 lead into halftime. Her opening score came on a penalty corner, where she scooped the ball over the Wake Forest goalkeeper through heavy traffic.
Her second was just as sharp. Senior Hope Haynes started the play from deep in Carolina’s defensive half, sending a bouncing ball through the Demon Deacons’ press that found Heck. With only the goalkeeper and a recovering defender in front of her, Heck turned to make room and finished cleanly into the net.
Junior midfielder Coco Courtright added UNC’s third goal, blasting home her fifth of the season off the woodwork on a corner routine. That strike leveled the game with eight minutes left, but Wake Forest responded five minutes later to regain the lead.
Mia Schoenbeck powered the Demon Deacons’ attack with a hat trick, scoring all three of her goals on drag flicks from penalty corners. Her third came with three minutes remaining and stood as the winner.
North Carolina now turns quickly to App State, with the Tar Heels set to travel Sunday afternoon. That game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the live stream will be available on the school’s YouTube page.
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