A valiant effort by the UNC men’s soccer team wasn’t enough Sunday night, as they fell to the Clemson Tigers 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

Carolina was the No. 7 seed in the tournament, while Clemson was seeded No. 2.

The upset-minded Tar Heels took an early lead, with Santiago Herrera netting his fifth goal of the season in the 20th minute. Tim Schels picked up the assist on the play. But the Tigers responded in kind in the 37th minute, and the match went to halftime tied a 1-1.

The score remained the same until the 76th minute, when Clemson’s Quinn McNeill found the back of the net for the game-winning goal. Carolina wasn’t able to find any offense in the final 14 minutes.

Statistically, the match was incredibly even. Both sides took 10 shots and made four saves. UNC committed 12 fouls, while Clemson committed 13.

The loss puts an end to the men’s soccer team’s four-match winning streak, three wins of which came against ranked opponents. Now with an 11-6-1 overall record this season, head coach Carlos Somoano and company will wait and see whether they earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament field will be announced Monday, November 15 at 1 p.m.

 

Featured image via Clemson Athletics

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