BROWNS SUMMIT, NC – Junior forward
Nalani Hunt scored the pivotal game-winner in the 43rd minute as No. 2 seed Francis Marion University battled to a 1-0 victory over top-seed UNC Pembroke on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7) in the championship match of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Soccer Tournament.
The Patriots improve to 15-4-1 and will be heading back to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year after securing the Conference Carolinas automatic bid. FMU will be making its fifth appearance in the national tournament (1998, 2000, 2024, 2025, 2026) and claims its second Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship in the last three years.
N. Hunt was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, and joining her on the All-Tournament Team were freshman forward/goalkeeper
Ryleigh Ackermann, sophomore defender
Laïla Ayup, graduate student midfielder
Camryn Bliss, and junior midfielder
Bryn Lahart.
Francis Marion will await the announcement of the tournament field with the NCAA Selection Show set for Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m., streaming on NCAA.com.
UNC Pembroke (12-2-5) sees its program-record 17-match unbeaten streak snapped in the title match. The Braves will look to receive an at-large bid to the national tournament after ranking fourth in the Southeast Region NPI Rankings entering today's contest.
The Patriots started out on the front foot in the offensive half of the field with a pair of shots and two corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes of the match. Graduate student
Tehya Dave' delivered the first shot on goal in the 22nd minute, but UNCP goalkeeper Addison Ellsworth quickly saved the close-range attempt.
It was FMU's persistence that paid off as they drew first blood in the 43rd minute. Bliss collected a misplaced pass by the Braves and quickly delivered a through ball into the box. The pass managed to squeeze between two UNCP defenders before N. Hunt delivered a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net, her ninth goal of the season, 1-0.
At the break, the Patriots held a 6-0 lead in total shots and a 5-1 edge in corner kicks.
The Patriots remained aggressive in the opening moments of the second half, but it was the Braves who started applying pressure just beyond the 54th minute. UNCP forced Ackermann into action with saves in the 59th and 65th minutes to keep the FMU ahead by a one-goal margin. FMU's defense completely shut down the UNCP offense in the final 25 minutes to seal the 1-0 shutout win.
Ackermann, who was a forward-converted emergency goalkeeper, tallied three clean sheets in the postseason. Against the Braves, she finished with two saves on four shots faced in 90 minutes of action.
N. Hunt scored in all three tournament matches, including two game-winners, and has tallied 14 points (6 goals, 2 assists) over the last seven matches.
Francis Marion finished with a significant 11-4 shot advantage and a 7-1 lead in corner kicks.
