Most experts and casual observers would expect the UNC women’s team to have a better chance in the NCAA tournament than the men’s team. But the men are still playing while the women lost at home to Notre Dame, 4-1, Saturday in Chapel Hill.

It was one of the most decisive, if not the most decisive defeat in UNC history. Carolina hadn’t given up four goals in a game since 1980 and haven’t lost by more than a goal since 1985.

“I thought they completely outfought us in the first half and they deserved to be in a dominant position going into the second half,” UNC coach Anson Dorrance said. “I thought we tried to come back in the second half, but they counterattacked well and we just couldn’t seem to get anything past their defense and their goalkeeper.”

UNC, the two-time defending champion, saw its season end at 19-3-2.

The fourth-seeded men’s team North Carolina battled Georgetown to a scoreless tie through 110 minutes today but won a 5-4 penalty shootout to advance to the third round of the NCAA tourney.

With the shootout tied at 2-2, UNC goalie Scott Goodwin stopped Seth C’deBaca’s low shot to the right to put Carolina in control.

UNC’s Jalil Anibaba and Enzo Martinez scored before Alex Walters popped the winning goal inside the left post.

Carolina advances to take on Michigan State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday at Fetzer Field.

Field Hockey: North Carolina’s 2010 field hockey season ended today at Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in the NCAA Championship game. But the Tar Heels stretched the campaign out just about as long as possible, playing through the better part of two overtime periods before the top-ranked Terrapins scored the game winner to claim the program’s seventh NCAA title on their home field.

Sophomore Megan Frazer’s goal with 2:10 remaining in the second overtime gave Maryland a 3-2 win, reversing the score by which UNC claimed the 2009 title over the Terps.

“Congratulations to the University of Maryland on winning the national championship,” said UNC coach Karen Shelton, whose team finished the season 22-3. “I think both teams fought extremely hard. It was two good teams going at it, as you would hope in a national championship.”

After losing to Minnesota in the Puerto Rico Tipoff tournament, North Carolina perhaps could point to a flukish poor shooting night but what’s the excuse for turning right around and losing 72-65 to Vanderbilt?

The Tar Heels expended a lot of energy coming from 14 points down in the first half to take a one-point lead midway through the second half. But with the score tied at 51, Vanderbilt reeled off eight straight points while the Heels went scoreless over more than three minutes.

Carolina never could catch up again. Once again UNC had shooting woes hitting just 40.7 percent from the field (including just three of 11 from the arc). Both teams were sloppy as the Heels committed 22 turnovers while the Commodores committed 21.

But Vanderbilt scored 12 more points than the Heels from the three-point line and three more points from the free throw line. That’s 15 points UNC had to make up from the field and the Heels didn’t shoot well enough to do that.

Tyler Zeller led Carolina with 20 points while Harrison Barnes scored 11 and Reggie Bullock got 10. Carolina, which falls to 2-2, hosts UNC-Asheville Tuesday night.

North Carolina outplayed N.C. State for all but about 20 seconds during which the Wolfpack scored on, of all things, a two-yard tipped Hail Mary play on fourth down and an 87-yard punt return a couple of minutes later.

The Tar Heels, even though in control most of the day, settled for field goals instead of getting touchdowns and led 19-10 when the Pack scored those two touchdowns to take a lead they never relinquished, eventually winning 29-25.

UNC coach Butch Davis was not happy about a couple of non-calls for intentional grounding on State QB Russell Wilson. He said that if it were called like it should been, “the tipped ball in the end zone never happens.”

It was a bitter pill for the 17 Carolina seniors who lost all four of their games against State. Three of last four games have been decided by a combined total of nine points.

One area that State dominated was in rushing and blitzing the quarterback with its linebackers. The Wolfpack sacked UNC’s T.J. Yates seven times including in the last seconds for a safety.

N.C. State can play for the ACC championship with a victory next week at Maryland, something that apparently is a foregone conclusion to some. “This was a two-fer,” State coach Tom O’Brien said. “We got to beat Carolina and play for the championship.”

North Carolina’s freshman sensation Harrison Barnes hasn’t been very sensational lately as he hasn’t scored a field goal in three halves, including an 0 for 13 effort in a 72-67 loss to Minnesota in the Puerto Rico tournament.

What a low after such a high against Hofstra. Just when you think the bad taste of last year is out of your mouth, they pull something like that against Minnesota.

“Last year doesn’t have anything to do with this year,” UNC coach Roy Williams scoffed. “We just stunk.”

Yes, Minnesota is better than Hofstra but it’s more about Carolina than it is the opponent. In other words, you have to be consistent. You can’t shoot the eyes out of it one night and the very next night can’t buy a basket, even with open looks.

“I’ve tried to erase last year from my mind,” Williams said.

It won’t be easy with performances like this.

The Tar Heels shot just 37 percent from the floor and only 60 percent from the free throw line. Carolina, 2-1, plays in the consolation game in Puerto Rico at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

For a full game story, please click here.

UNC coach Butch Davis said after last week’s 26-10 loss to Virginia Tech that eliminated the Tar Heels from any chance at the ACC championship game, it’s important to bounce back psychologically and emotionally this week. Being that this week’s game is at home against a good N.C. State team that is a chief rival, that will help the Heels “get over the funk of last week’s game,” Davis said.

He said it’s an important week for the Tar Heels, who are looking to fix their problems from last week’s game, mostly the six turnovers. It’s important especially to the 17 seniors who in three tries have yet to beat the Wolfpack. But some observers claim that the State players care more about the rivalry in good measure because State coach Tom O’Brien stresses the rivalry aspect of the game each year.

“I have no idea what they stress,” Davis said. “We want to play extremely well every single week. Obviously certain games are going to carry more magnitude but if you are going to win the ACC, you gotta win all the ACC games, not just play well in one game.”

The strategies have worked somewhat for both coaches. O’Brien’s players have seemed more fired up and focused on beating the Tar Heels when the two play while UNC has had a better overall record over the last three seasons. This year State (7-3) comes in with the better record and Carolina (6-4), though depleted as well documented, seems to be fired up and focused themselves this time around.

“It’s very important to our football team and the program,” Davis said.

Senior Deunta Williams said, “We can’t go out on no ‘L.’ That’s just what we’re thinking about, in our last game at Kenan, especially against N.C. State.”