The No. 24 UNC men’s soccer team began its season with a win Thursday night at Dorrance Field, defeating visiting Air Force 2-1.

Though Carolina ended up controlling the match, things got off to a rather inauspicious start. The Falcons found the back of the net less than four minutes into the first half, stunning the Carolina crowd. The goal was one of just three shots Air Force took on the night.

The Tar Heels would take the lead back before halftime, with goals from graduate midfielder Milo Garvanian and redshirt junior forward Key White doing the damage. It was White’s first goal in two seasons, as the striker from Norfolk, VA didn’t play at all last fall. White, who came off the bench as a substitute, was one of five Tar Heels to record a shot on goal. As a team, UNC outshot the Falcons 12-3 and held an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

With the 2-1 win, Carolina is still undefeated in home openers under head coach Carlos Somoano. Thursday’s match was the first of two in the Carolina Nike Classic. UNC will host South Florida at Dorrance Field in the second game of the event on Sunday. That match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be available to stream on ACC Network Extra.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Soccer on Twitter

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