UNC allowed two goals in a span of less than two minutes in the first half at Memphis Monday night, and the Tar Heels couldn’t recover from that early deficit in a 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Memphis’ Eben McIntyre scored the match’s opening goal in the 13th minute on the first shot of the game by either team. Renan Syrio doubled the advantage in the 15th minute, putting UNC behind before the Tar Heels had managed a single shot. Joschi Schelb got Carolina off the mat with his second goal of the season in the 22nd minute, pouncing on a rebound from teammate Faraji Ramani. Memphis restored the two-goal advantage in the 35th minute and the Tar Heels’ Jace Donawa cut it back to one in the 44th, bringing a whirlwind first half to a close with the score 3-2.

The Tar Heels knocked on the door for an equalizer in the second half, forcing three saves out of Tiger goalkeeper Noah Kasin. But the back-and-forth scoring had dried up at halftime, and the score remained 3-2 until the final whistle.

The two teams played nearly even statistically: both took 12 total shots, with Memphis holding a slight 7-6 edge in shots on goal. Tar Heel goalkeeper Alan Rutkowski made three saves to Kasin’s four.

UNC is 0-1-1 in its first two matches of the season. It’s the first time the team has gone winless in its first two matches since 2019. Up next, Carolina will return to Chapel Hill for its home opener at Dorrance Field Friday at 7:30 p.m. against VCU.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Nate Skvoretz

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