All it takes in soccer for a whole match to change is one mistake.

The top-ranked UNC men found that out the hard way on Friday night in front of a massive crowd in Raleigh, coming out on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against the rival NC State Wolfpack.

After a scoreless first half, the Wolfpack (8-3-2, 2-3-1 ACC) created the only goal of the game in the 53rd minute when David Loera was approached by a pair of Tar Heel defenders looking to steal the ball. Instead, the ball took an awkward bounce and ended up back on the feet of Loera, who found himself behind the defense and promptly found the back of the net.

It was the only one of NC State’ two shots in the match to even be on target.

UNC (9-2-1, 4-1-0 ACC), on the other hand, compiled 18 total shots and created 11 corner kick opportunities–but was unable to take advantage.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels return to the pitch on Tuesday when they host Winthrop at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. That match is set to begin at 7 p.m.

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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