Brownsville grad Dellarose wins national title with UNC
Photo courtesy of goheels.com
North Carolina has dominated the women’s soccer game since winning its first national championship in 1982.
Despite having won 22 national titles, the Tar Heels were in a “slump” coming into this season without winning a national title in 12 years.
That changed Monday night when Olivia Thomas bent a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box and into the upper right-hand corner of the net for what turned out to be the match winner in UNC’s 1-0 victory over Wake Forest in an all-ACC national final in Cary, N.C.
Thomas’ goal from the set piece will be remembered for many years to come by Tar Heels past, present and future, but residents of Fayette County, and especially Brownsville, had their eyes on No. 34 in blue.
Tessa Dellarose, a Grindstone native and 2022 graduate of Brownsville Area High School, started on defense for UNC the entire season and helped the Tar Heels’ backline preserve the clean sheet for keeper Clare Gagne, who made three saves, which all came in the first half.
Dellarose, a junior, has been an integral part of the team since arriving in Chapel Hill her freshman year. She was on the team that finished as the national runner-up in 2022 before losing in the NCAA quarterfinals last season.
Thomas’ opportunity came after the Demon Deacons were issued a yellow card. She blasted the right-footed shot past the wall set up by Wake Forest and to the left of the outstretched hands of keeper Valentina Amaral.
UNC only had two shots on target, as Kate Faasse was stopped by Amaral on a shot to the bottom center in the 56th minute. Thomas had four shots but only one was on target, however, she made it count.
The Demon Deacons had a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. The Tar Heels committed 10 fouls and Wake Forest 9. UNC was offside four times while the Deacons were off once.