The UNC men’s soccer team made easy work of Virginia Tech in the opening round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday night, beating the Hokies 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Though the Tar Heels won the match handily, they started in the worst way possible, falling behind after just 1:44. But it was all Carolina from then on out, as Quenzi Huerman equalized in the 29th minute and Ernest Bawa put the Tar Heels ahead just 91 seconds before the halftime horn.

In the second half, Charlie Harper doubled the advantage in the 68th minute, corralling a loose ball in the box and sending it into the top of the net. It was the first collegiate goal for the sophomore defender from Australia. Less than 10 minutes later, it was Bawa again scoring to earn his first career brace.

In the Carolina goal, Andrew Cordes made two second-half saves to keep the Hokies off the scoresheet for the final 88 minutes of the night. The Tar Heels held Virginia Tech to just eight total shots and three shots on goal, compared to 18 total and 12 on goal for Carolina.

Up next for UNC, which improves to 8-3-5 on the year, is a road rematch with No. 2 seed Wake Forest in the tournament quarterfinals on Sunday at 4 p.m. The Demon Deacons defeated Carolina 1-0 in Winston-Salem on October 14.

 

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 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 Men's Soccer Falls in Penalty Shootout in ACC Championship
The UNC men’s soccer team’s run through the ACC Tournament came to a heartbreaking end Sunday in Cary, as the Tar Heels took the lead in the second half but ultimately fell to Clemson in penalty kicks. First team All-ACC honoree Quenzi Huerman put Carolina in front in the 49th minute, but Clemson would control […]
UNC Men's Soccer Cruises Past Syracuse into ACC Tournament Final
A pair of first-half goals gave the UNC men’s soccer team a commanding lead over defending national champions Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals Wednesday night, and the Tar Heels would hold that lead in a 3-1 win. It’s the 800th win in program history. 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚!#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/UP2Cqcb1RI — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) […]
UNC Men's Soccer Upsets Wake Forest, Moves On to ACC Semifinals
The UNC men’s soccer team avenged a regular-season defeat at the hands (feet?) of Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon, upsetting the No. 2 seed Demon Deacons to advance to the ACC semifinals on Wednesday. It’s Carolina’s first trip to the semifinals since 2018. 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚!#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ZnwiTic5Sh — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 5, […]
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 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 […]
›