A pair of first-half goals gave the UNC men’s soccer team a commanding lead over defending national champions Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals Wednesday night, and the Tar Heels would hold that lead in a 3-1 win. It’s the 800th win in program history.

It’s Carolina’s second consecutive road win in the tournament, and sends the team to its first ACC championship since 2018. UNC hasn’t won the ACC Tournament since 2011.

Martin Vician got the scoring started in the seventh minute, as he and first team All-ACC honoree Quenzi Huerman pounced on a Syracuse mistake in front of their own goal. Huerman dispossessed an Orange player before feeding the ball to Vician, who slotted it calmly into the bottom corner of the net.

Despite consistent pressure from Syracuse, Carolina withstood the Orange surge and added a second goal to the lead in the 37th minute, as junior forward Daniel Kutsch got behind the defense on a break and slid a shot past the Syracuse keeper.

Syracuse got a goal back just 10 minutes into the second half and appeared to seize momentum, but a red card against the Orange’s Jeorgio Kocevski reduced the hosts to 10 men for the remainder of the night. Vician would take advantage 12 minutes later, scoring his second goal on the night on a break opportunity to restore the two-goal advantage. Syracuse would only get one shot on goal for the rest of the match.

UNC keeper Andrew Cordes once again stood tall in net, making a career-high eight saves to keep Carolina in front. He now has made 14 combined saves in the last two matches.

Carolina will return to its home state for the ACC championship on Sunday, which will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary at noon. UNC will face either Louisville or Clemson, and the match will be broadcast on ESPNU.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Soccer on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Soccer Wins at Notre Dame in ACC Tournament 1st Round
Carolina opened the ACC Tournament with a bang Wednesday night, scoring a pair of first-half goals on its way to a 3-1 win at Notre Dame in the tournament’s first round. The Tar Heels, the No. 9 seed in the field, will now advance to the quarterfinals Sunday. Moving on 🚙 The Heels will play […]
UNC Men's Soccer Falls in Penalty Shootout in ACC Championship
The UNC men’s soccer team’s run through the ACC Tournament came to a heartbreaking end Sunday in Cary, as the Tar Heels took the lead in the second half but ultimately fell to Clemson in penalty kicks. First team All-ACC honoree Quenzi Huerman put Carolina in front in the 49th minute, but Clemson would control […]
UNC Men's Soccer Upsets Wake Forest, Moves On to ACC Semifinals
The UNC men’s soccer team avenged a regular-season defeat at the hands (feet?) of Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon, upsetting the No. 2 seed Demon Deacons to advance to the ACC semifinals on Wednesday. It’s Carolina’s first trip to the semifinals since 2018. 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚!#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ZnwiTic5Sh — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 5, […]
UNC Men's Soccer Throttles Virginia Tech in 1st Round of ACC Tournament
The UNC men’s soccer team made easy work of Virginia Tech in the opening round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday night, beating the Hokies 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday. 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚!#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/tEkcDZMDEg — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 2, 2023 Though the Tar Heels won the match handily, they started […]
This Week in UNC Sports: September 21-27, 2026
This series of posts will be made weekly on Chapelboro with a full schedule of UNC sports contests, both in Chapel Hill and elsewhere. Note that game times and broadcast information are subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. It’s a lighter week for UNC sports as we approach the end of […]
UNC Sports: Women's Soccer Wins; Men's Soccer, Field Hockey Both Lose
It was a busy weekend across the UNC sports spectrum, as both soccer teams and the field hockey team were in action late Saturday and early Sunday. The women’s soccer team continued its hot streak with a blowout win, while the men’s soccer and field hockey teams each suffered conference losses. The men’s team took […]
UNC Men's Soccer Shuts Out American at Dorrance Field
A dominant UNC effort held visiting American without a single shot on target in a 2-0 win at Dorrance Field Tuesday night. Job done ☑️ UNC dominates American and comes away with three points to improve to 2-1-3! The Heels are back in action Saturday night when we host No. 21 Clemson at 7 pm. […]
This Week in UNC Sports: September 14-20, 2026
The upcoming week offers several high-caliber matchups for multiple UNC teams both at home and on the road.
UNC Men's Soccer Earns Draw vs. No. 1 Stanford in Chapel Hill
Goals from UNC’s Ryan Zellefrow and Luca Nikolai helped the Tar Heels play to a 2-2 draw against No. 1 Stanford at Dorrance Field Friday night. Zellefrow’s goal in the 13th minute was Carolina’s first shot of the night. It came against the run of play, as Stanford had manufactured the first two chances of […]
UNC Soccer: Women Win at Arizona State, Men Draw at Cal
Both the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were playing out west Sunday. The women used a penalty kick goal to beat Arizona State 1-0 in Tempe, while the men battled to a 2-2 draw against Cal in Berkeley. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels and Sun Devils combined for just seven total shots […]
›