Following two tough ACC defeats in which they were outscored 7-0, the UNC men’s soccer team got back in the win column with a 2-0 victory at Virginia Saturday afternoon.
During a scoreless first half, a familiar script had begun to reveal itself to the Tar Heels: UNC was outshooting its opponent, yet still stood frustratingly level on the scoreboard.
The trend continued into the second period until a Virginia handball inside their own 18-yard box gave UNC a huge penalty kick. On the penalty kick, fifth-year senior Santiago Herrera coolly slotted the ball past Virginia goalkeeper Holden Brown to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead, their first lead in ACC play this season.
Carolina continued to control the flow of the game, and six minutes later Herrera’s fellow fifth-year senior Alex Rose scored his second goal of the season, and UNC’s second on the night, on a breakaway opportunity in the 84th minute.
Rose’s goal provided critical insurance for the Tar Heel advantage, but it proved to be unnecessary, as Carolina’s defense held the Cavaliers to just one shot in the final six minutes. For the match, the UNC outshot Virginia 15-7, and 9-3 in the second half. Goalkeeper Alec Smir made three saves to keep the Cavaliers off the scoreboard.
The win is Carolina’s first in ACC play this season, and moves them to 1-2 in conference and 5-2-1 overall. UNC will take a brief break from ACC games on Wednesday, September 29 when they visit UNC-Wilmington. After that, two critical home games with NC State and Wake Forest await.
Featured image via Carolina Athletics
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