UNC Men’s Soccer Falls to Cal in ACC Tournament Opening Round

A late penalty kick goal sunk Carolina against visiting Cal, 2-1, in the opening round of the ACC Tournament at Dorrance Field on Wednesday night.

The Tar Heels took an early lead on a Luke Hille goal in the seventh minute and held that advantage through halftime, but Cal flipped the match midway through the second half. A goal in the 64th minute leveled the score before a replay review of a foul awarded the Golden Bears a penalty kick in the 78th minute. Cal’s Alfredo Ortiz converted to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Carolina only managed one more shot on goal in the final moments.

The two teams finished level on shots on goal (5-5), with Carolina holding a slim 14-10 edge in total shots. The Tar Heels and Golden Bears also combined for 21 fouls and 14 corner kicks.

The loss is UNC’s second in a row and drops the Tar Heels to 9-4-4 overall entering NCAA Tournament play. Carolina has won just one of its last six ACC matches, losing four and tying once. The team will now await its NCAA Tournament assignment, which will be revealed during the selection show on Monday, November 18 at 1 p.m.

Featured image via UNC Men’s Soccer on Twitter

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