The No. 3 UNC men’s soccer team equalized late in its NCAA Tournament Round of 16 match against No. 14 Hofstra on Sunday, played through two scoreless overtimes and then won in a penalty shootout to advance to the national quarterfinals.

A flurry of goals in the first half saw Hofstra take the lead, Ahmad Al-Qaq equalize for Carolina and Hofstra take the lead again in the span of less than 10 minutes. It’s the first time Carolina has allowed multiple goals in a match this season.

The score would stay 2-1 in favor of the Pride into halftime and all the way into the waning moments of regulation. The Tar Heels created multiple chances in the second half, including a pair of shots which rang off the Hofstra woodwork, but were still stuck at just one shot on goal (Al-Qaq’s goal in the first half) on the night.

Finally, it was Martin Vician who connected with a set piece service from Quenzi Huerman in the 86th minute, tying the match at 2-2. Vician had an opportunity to steal a win late in normal time on a breakaway, but his shot was blocked before it could reach the Hofstra keeper.

Neither team created a shot on goal in the two 10-minute overtime periods, sending the match to a penalty shootout. It was Carolina’s second shootout of the season, after losing in penalties to Clemson in the ACC Championship.

Fortunately for UNC, this one ended on a positive note. Keeper Andrew Cordes stopped the Pride’s second penalty, and all five Tar Heels found the back of the net. Andrew Czech calmly slotted home the fifth and winning penalty to send Carolina through. Ironically, UNC ended the night with only two shots on goal – the goals from Al-Qaq and Vician.

The Tar Heels will appear in the national quarterfinals for the first time since the 2020-21 season. No. 3 overall seed UNC will host Oregon State, which upset No. 6 overall seed SMU in the Round of 16 by a 7-1 final score. The winner will advance to the College Cup in Louisville in December. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. at Dorrance Field.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Soccer on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Soccer Season Ends on NCAA Tournament Penalty Shootout
Carolina played to a penalty shootout for the second straight match Sunday, but the Tar Heels came up short this time on the road against No. 4 Maryland. UNC fell 4-3 in the shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Carolina’s season is over. The Tar Heels hung tough after Maryland controlled much […]
UNC Men's Soccer Advances to NCAA Tournament 2nd Round in Penalty Shootout
The fans who came to see UNC face North Florida in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament at Dorrance Field certainly got their money’s worth. The Tar Heels advanced past the Ospreys in a thriller Thursday night, winning 6-5 on a penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2. Heels advance 6-5 on […]
UNC Men's Soccer to Host North Florida in 1st Round of NCAA Tournament
NCAA Tournament soccer is coming back to Dorrance Field. Carolina earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament Monday and will host North Florida in Chapel Hill in the tournament’s first round Thursday at 6 p.m. We’re In…And Hosting 💪 Your Tar Heels will welcome North Florida to Dorrance Field in the NCAA […]
UNC Men's Soccer Wins at Notre Dame in ACC Tournament 1st Round
Carolina opened the ACC Tournament with a bang Wednesday night, scoring a pair of first-half goals on its way to a 3-1 win at Notre Dame in the tournament’s first round. The Tar Heels, the No. 9 seed in the field, will now advance to the quarterfinals Sunday. Moving on 🚙 The Heels will play […]
UNC Sports: Men's Soccer Loses, Women's Soccer Wins, Volleyball Splits Weekend Homestand
It was a busy weekend of Olympic sports for UNC, with the men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams all in action. In men’s soccer, the Tar Heels fell at Syracuse Saturday afternoon after the Orange netted a goal in the 36th minute. Carolina pressed for an equalizer hard in the second half, totaling 13 […]
UNC Men's Soccer Throttles St. Thomas to Extend Unbeaten Run
Freshman Dan Klink recorded a hat trick across just six minutes in the second half to help UNC defeat visiting St. Thomas at Dorrance Field Saturday night. The 4-0 win is Carolina’s third in a row and extends the team’s unbeaten run to eight matches. That was fun 🙌 3 wins on the trot and […]
UNC Men's Soccer Wins at Louisville for First ACC Victory
A goal from Gabriel Bracken Serra in the 10th minute was all UNC needed to pick up a 1-0 win at Louisville Friday night. The win is Carolina’s first in ACC play this season and extends the Tar Heels’ unbeaten run to six matches (two wins, four draws). Carolina Victory 🐏 The Heels extend their […]
UNC Men's Soccer Earns Road Draw at No. 12 Virginia
Through driving rain, UNC played to a 0-0 draw with No. 12 Virginia in Charlottesville Saturday night. The Tar Heels have now tied each of their four ACC matches so far, with two of those being scoreless draws. Virginia tripled Carolina’s total shot output 15-5, though only two of the Cavaliers’ shots were on target. […]
UNC Men's Soccer Draws With SMU; 3rd Draw of ACC Play
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 […]
UNC Men's Soccer Dominates, Cruises Past Memphis at Dorrance Field
Carolina had no trouble with visiting Memphis at Dorrance Field Tuesday night, defeating the Tigers 3-0. It was UNC’s largest win this season and first in its last four matches. That’s a dub 👐 The Heels move to 4-1-2 on the season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Memphis. See ya Saturday night when we […]
›