Luke Hille missed UNC’s fourth penalty in a shootout, giving visiting Furman the opening it needed to advance past the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round on Thursday night. Carolina’s season is over.

UNC and Furman finished 110 minutes of soccer – 90 minutes in regulation and two 10-minute, golden goal extra time periods – in a scoreless draw. Shots were nearly even, with Carolina holding a 10-9 advantage. Both goalkeepers made four saves, all of which came in regulation. UNC’s Tate Johnson and Matthew Acosta tied for the team lead with three shots each. The Tar Heels and Paladins also combined for 36 fouls on the night.

In the penalty shootout, the teams converted the first seven penalty kicks (four for Furman, three for UNC) before Hille sent his kick over the crossbar. Furman then slotted home the winning penalty on the next kick. Carolina goalkeeper Andrew Cordes failed to stop any of the Paladins’ penalties.

UNC finishes the season with a 9-4-5 record, having failed to win four of its final five matches. This also marks the second time in three seasons the Tar Heels have lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and the third consecutive season UNC has been eliminated at Dorrance Field.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Soccer on Twitter


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