The UNC men’s soccer team opened its 2025 campaign with a resounding 3-1 win against visiting UCF Thursday night at Dorrance Field.
Carolina ended up winning comfortably despite giving up the night’s opening goal. UCF’s Lilian Ricol struck in the 21st minute to give the Knights an early lead (it ended up being UCF’s only shot of the first half), but the Tar Heels equalized quickly thanks to Xavier transfer Dylan Kropp, who headed in UNC’s first goal of 2025.
The Tar Heels took the lead in the 56th minute, with SIU-Edwardsville transfer Nacho Abeal finding the roof of the net off a clinical break.
Freshman forward Ryan Dugan put the cherry on top of the winning effort with UNC’s third goal of the night in the 79th minute, hammering home a cross from teammate Luca Nikolai.
UNC outshot the Knights 17-8 in total, with Carolina goalkeeper Andrew Cordes making a pair of saves in the second half to keep UCF off the scoresheet.
The Tar Heels begin the season 1-0 for the 13th time in head coach Carlos Somoano’s 15 seasons in charge. Carolina has never lost a season opener under Somoano’s watch, accruing a 13-0-2 record in his tenure. UNC will be back in action when it hosts Seattle University Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.
The women’s team was not as fortunate Thursday, as the Tar Heels lost 2-0 at Georgia under a pouring rain in Athens. The match was delayed twice due to weather. UNC managed just one total shot in the first half and just two shots on goal for the entire match. The Bulldogs took the lead in the 51st minute after a scoreless first half, then sealed the win with a second goal in the 72nd minute. Linda Ullmark and Olivia Thomas provided UNC’s only two shots on goal.
Carolina’s two losses in true road environments are already almost equal to the total from the 2024 season, when the Tar Heels dropped three road matches.
At 1-2 overall, UNC will return home Sunday when it hosts Rice at Dorrance Field at 12 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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 newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
UNC Sports: Men's Soccer Loses, Women's Soccer Wins, Volleyball Splits Weekend HomestandIt 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 RunFreshman 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 VictoryA 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 VirginiaThrough 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 PlayA 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 FieldCarolina 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 […]
Second-Half Goal Helps UNC Men's Soccer Tie No. 4 Wake Forest at Dorrance FieldA concerted offensive effort in the second half helped UNC rally from an early deficit and earn a 1-1 draw with No. 4 Wake Forest at Dorrance Field Friday night. We finish all square 🐏 Heels put the pressure on in the 2nd half but couldn’t find the winner. #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/H6JstshkMP — UNC […]
UNC Men's Soccer Plays to Scoreless Draw at No. 5 NC StateIn front of a record-setting crowd at NC State’s Dail Soccer Field, UNC held firm against the No. 5 Wolfpack and earned a scoreless draw to begin ACC play. Nothing between the rivals and we end in a draw. Strong result on the road for the Heels!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/1Qaa62YDjI — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) […]
UNC Soccer: Men's and Women's Teams Each Pick Up Home ShutoutsBoth the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were in action Thursday at Dorrance Field, and both teams came away with shutout victories. In the first match of the doubleheader, the women’s team throttled UNC-Greensboro 4-0, scoring two goals apiece in the first and second halves. Freshman Bella Devey opened the scoring in the 19th […]
UNC Soccer: Men Win Opener vs. UCF, Women Lose at GeorgiaThe UNC men’s soccer team opened its 2025 campaign with a resounding 3-1 win against visiting UCF Thursday night at Dorrance Field. Off to a good start 📈#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/w6ygWPovus — UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) August 22, 2025 Carolina ended up winning comfortably despite giving up the night’s opening goal. UCF’s Lilian Ricol struck […]
›
