AUSTIN, Texas -- Santa Clara extended its dominance over North Carolina.

Veronica Zepeda scored two goals Friday night and defending national champion Santa Clara hung on for a 2-1 victory over North Carolina to advance to the title game of the NCAA Women's College Cup.

It was Santa Clara's third straight victory over the Tar Heels, including a 1-0 win in last year's national title game.

Santa Clara (20-4-1) will play West Coast Conference rival Portland (19-4-2) Sunday in the championship game. The Pilots beat Penn State 2-0 in Friday's other semifinal.

Even with the recent losses to Santa Clara, the Tar Heels were favored to win their 17th national championship in 21 years.

North Carolina and coach Anson Dorrance have built one of college sports' great dynasties. The Tar Heels have never failed to reach the final four of the College Cup in the tournament's 21-year history.

But North Carolina has now lost three straight to Santa Clara, a small Catholic university near San Francisco with 7,800 students and a growing soccer tradition of its own.

"There's an intangible that I can't really describe,'' Santa Clara coach Jerry Smith said. "It's a grittiness that we have.''

Sunday's title game will be just the second in the 21-year history of the tournament without the Tar Heels, the first since 1995.

"There is a rivalry between us and Santa Clara, and it has built up the past two years,'' said Tar Heel's defender Catherine Reddick. "They played a great game and we didn't.''

Zepeda made the most of her scoring chances.

The first came in the 10th minute. Zepeda took a short pass from Bree Horvath at the top of the penalty area, dribbled around Reddick, a U.S. national team member , and struck a low shot that went between Carmen Watley's legs and into the net.

It was the Broncos' only shot of the first half.

Zepeda made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute when she jumped on a loose ball in the penalty area and struck a one-touch shot into the top of the goal.

"I don't remember too much of what happened,'' Zepeda said. "The second goal ... I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.''

North Carolina closed within 2-1 on Lindsay Tarpley's 16th goal of the season seven minutes later.

The Tar Heels mounted a frantic rally, getting six shots in the final five minutes, but weren't able to get past a defense that packed around the goal.

North Carolina outshot Santa Clara 19-7

"We dodged some bullets in the second half,'' Smith said. "We're very happy to be moving on.''

In Friday's early game, Portland's Christine Sinclair scored in the third minute and the Pilots recorded their sixth consecutive shutout.

Sinclair beat Penn State central defender Gillian Samuel to a long clearing pass at midfield and slipped behind the Nittany Lions defense.

Sinclair won the sprint to the penalty area where she drove a left-footed shot low inside the far post past diving goalkeeper Amanda Brown for her 24th goal of the season.

"I tried to place it as far away from the goalie'' as possible, Sinclair said. "I was fortunate in finding the back of the net.''

Portland nearly surrendered the equalizer 10 minutes later when goalie Lauren Arase ventured too far out from the net to cut of a Penn State run. Christie Welsh chipped the ball over Arase but missed wide from 25 yards.

"I had a wide-open shot,'' Welsh said, "and I just panicked.''

Wanda Rozwadowska made it 2-0 in the 58th minute when Brown stuffed two shots by Emily Patterson but couldn't control the rebound in front of the net. Rozwadowska scored from a yard out.

Portland outshot Penn State 16-7.

Portland will play in its second final in seven trips to the College Cup. The Pilots lost the 1995 title game 1-0 to Notre Dame.

Penn State slipped to 19-4-1.