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.

Nacho Abeal opened the scoring in the 21st minute, slicing into the Irish box and connecting with a cross from Bertil Rygaard Hansen for the easy finish. It was the first time the Tar Heels had led in a match since October 19 after closing the regular season on a two-match losing streak.

That lead doubled 15 minutes later, as freshman Charlie Antonelius recorded his first goal of his collegiate career on a deflected shot from outside the box.

In the second half, fellow freshman Dan Klink effectively sealed the win with a goal in the 70th minute to increase the lead to 3-0. It was Klink’s fifth goal of the season, all of which have come on headers. A Notre Dame goal in the 84th minute was too little, too late for the Fighting Irish’s hopes.

Carolina earned the 3-1 win despite trailing in both total shots (14-9) and shots on target (6-3). UNC goalkeeper Andrew Cordes made five saves to keep the Tar Heels in front, tying a season high for an ACC match.

The Tar Heels are now 9-4-4 on the season after Wednesday’s win. Up next, Carolina will visit No. 1 seed Virginia in Charlottesville in the ACC quarterfinals, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. UNC tied the Cavaliers, 0-0, in the two teams’ regular season meeting in Charlottesville.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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