University of Arizona
2-2-1, 0-0-0
No. 9 UNC
4-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Arizona | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Record Crowd Watches Arizona Battle No. 9 North Carolina
09/03/2026 | Soccer
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Soccer battled No. 9 North Carolina in front of a program-record crowd of 1,753 Thursday night at Mulcahy Stadium, falling 2-1 to the Tar Heels.
The 1,753 fans in attendance marked the largest crowd in Arizona Soccer history, surpassing the previous program attendance record of 1,389.
Arizona (2-2-1) and North Carolina played a scoreless opening 45 minutes behind a strong performance in goal from Sofia Cortes-Browne. Making her first full 90-minute appearance of the season, Cortes-Browne helped withstand 10 first-half shots from the Tar Heels and kept the nation's No. 9 team off the board.
Cortes-Browne came up with several stops throughout the half, including back-to-back saves in the 25th minute and another in the 30th. Her biggest stop came in the 41st minute when North Carolina earned a penalty kick. Cortes-Browne denied Scottie Antonucci from the spot to preserve the scoreless match heading into halftime.
North Carolina broke through shortly after the break, with Summer Denigan converting a penalty kick in the 49th minute to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 advantage.
The Tar Heels doubled their lead in the 76th minute when Bella Devey scored off an assist from Riley Kennedy.
Arizona answered just over four minutes later. Lainey Swanson connected with Jessica Bedolla, who found the back of the net in the 80th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. The goal marked Bedolla's second of the season, while Swanson recorded her first assist of the year.
The Wildcats were unable to find another equalizer over the final 10 minutes, closing the night with a 2-1 setback to the ninth-ranked Tar Heels.
Cortes-Browne finished with six saves while playing all 90 minutes for the first time this season. North Carolina finished with a 19-5 advantage in shots and 9-4 edge in shots on goal, while the Tar Heels held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
UP NEXT
Arizona returns to action Sunday, Sept. 6 against Dartmouth at home. First touch is set for 1 p.m. MST.
TICKETS
Tickets for Arizona Soccer home matches are available HERE.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
For continued coverage of Arizona Soccer, follow the Wildcats on X (@ArizonaSoccer), Instagram (@ArizonaSoccer) and Facebook (Arizona Soccer).
NOTABLES
- Thursday's crowd of 1,753 set a new Arizona Soccer attendance record.
- Sofia Cortes-Browne played her first full 90-minute match of the season, finishing with six saves.
- Cortes-Browne kept No. 9 North Carolina scoreless through the opening 45 minutes despite the Tar Heels recording 10 shots and five shots on goal.
- Cortes-Browne saved a North Carolina penalty kick in the 41st minute to keep the match scoreless entering halftime.
- Jessica Bedolla scored her second goal of the season and put both of her attempts on goal.
- Lainey Swanson recorded the assist on Bedolla's goal, her first assist of the season.
- Arizona held North Carolina scoreless in the opening half, marking the first time this season the Tar Heels entered halftime without a goal. ? I would verify this one against UNC's first four games before publishing it.
- Allyson Brown, Lily Boydstun, Bedolla and Ashley May accounted for Arizona's four shots on goal.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Summer Denigan (4)
UNC Summer Denigan PENALTY KICK GOAL.
48:07
Bella Devey (6)
Assisted By: Riley Kennedy
GOAL by UNC Devey, Bella Assist by Kennedy, Riley.
75:10
Jessica Bedolla (2)
Assisted By: Lainey Swanson
GOAL by Ariz Bedolla, Jessica Assist by Swanson, Lainey.
79:12
