Blink, and you may have missed it.

Two minutes into their Senior Night match against No. 11 Notre Dame, the UNC men’s soccer team had scored two goals. Fans were still filing into their seats when strikes from freshmen Tega Ikoba and Ken Bellini gave Carolina a 2-0 advantage over the Fighting Irish.

A third goal from Alex Rose in the final minutes of the half punctuated a dominant 45 minutes of play for the Tar Heels, and ensured they would capture their third straight win over a ranked opponent, by a final score of 3-1.

Ikoba used all of his six-foot-four height to score the first goal, a soaring header inside the box with an assist from Milo Garvanian. It’s another highlight for Garvanian, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Week who scored three goals in UNC’s previous two matches.

Milo Garvanian (#22) sends in an assist to teammate Tega Ikoba for the UNC men’s soccer team against No. 11 Notre Dame on October 29, 2021.

Ikoba notched the assist on the second goal just 20 seconds later, when he found Bellini slicing into the box. Bellini slid to meet the ball, and collided with the Notre Dame goalkeeper in the process. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the ball trickled over the line to double the Carolina advantage.

Ken Bellini (#23) of the UNC men’s soccer team celebrates his goal against No. 11 Notre Dame on October 29, 2021.

Within just two minutes, Ikoba had picked up his team-leading sixth goal of the year, as well as his second assist of the year. The freshman from Madison, AL, leads the Tar Heels in points with 14, and earned his sixth start Friday night after beginning the year as a substitute. It’s been quite an impressive debut campaign for Ikoba, but he says he’s still nowhere close to peak performance.

“I think there’s still a long way for me to go,” he told 97.9 The Hill after the match. “I’m glad I’ve been able to get some goals, but I think that I need to be able to help the team in other ways a little more. I’m working to get better in training, but I definitely don’t think I’m there yet.”

Tega Ikoba of the UNC men’s soccer team takes a shot against No. 11 Notre Dame on October 29, 2021.

Ikoba nearly had his second goal of the evening, and Carolina’s third, midway through the first half. His shot was parried by the Irish goalkeeper, but UNC would find the back of the net again soon enough. Rose, playing in his final regular season home match for Carolina, slipped a shot through the Notre Dame defense with less than four minutes to go in the first half. It was the 14th goal in the career of the fifth-year senior from Cary.

Alex Rose (#21) of the UNC men’s soccer team scores a goal against No. 11 Notre Dame on October 29, 2021.

Carolina allowed a goal from an aggressive Irish team in the second half, but locked down the visitors from there. For the match, UNC only allowed two shots to head goalkeeper Alec Smir’s way. Head coach Carlos Somoano noted his team’s strong defensive performances throughout the season, and told 97.9 The Hill he was proud of his team’s mental fortitude after such a fast start to the match.

“My biggest thing is making sure we maintain our concentration, keep tunnel vision on what we’re trying to do,” Somoano said. “And yeah, 2-0 is a distraction. Early in the game, it could be like, ‘Oh yeah, this is gonna end up 98-0.’ It’s not. So, just stay focused, keep our mindset. And we can’t just do that tonight. If we just start preaching that tonight, then we have no chance. So, that’s what we’ve been preaching all year.”

After an uneven start to the season, the Tar Heels have caught fire down the stretch, with wins over No. 14 Loyola Marymount, No. 13 Virginia Tech and the No. 11 Fighting Irish sending UNC to a 10-5-1 overall record, and 4-4 in the ACC. The Tar Heels still have a chance to host an opening-round match in the ACC Tournament next week, a competition which could go a long way toward determining their placement in this year’s NCAA Tournament, which begins the week after conference tournament action.

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