A penalty kick goal for each side ensured UNC and SMU would play to a 1-1 draw at Dorrance Field Saturday evening.
Carolina’s Gabriel Bracken Serra opened the scoring in the fourth minute, earning his penalty kick after being taken down by the SMU goalkeeper inside the Mustangs’ 18-yard box. He converted to give the Tar Heels the lead, their first in ACC play this season.
That lead would only last until the 34th minute, when the Mustangs drew a penalty of their own against the Tar Heels’ Luca Nikolai. Goalkeeper Andrew Cordes got a hand to the penalty, but wasn’t able to keep it out of the back of the net.
SMU earned several more chances in the second half, forcing three saves out of Cordes and two within a span of 1:15 late in the match. After corresponding red cards against both teams and several more yellows, UNC saw one more chance in the 87th minute, but Dylan Kropp’s header off a set piece was saved.
The 1-1 draw is UNC’s third in a row to begin ACC play. The Tar Heels are now 4-1-3 overall and 0-0-3 in the league. Carolina will be back in action when it visits Virginia in Charlottesville next Saturday at 7 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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