It took penalty kicks to decide a winner on Sunday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, but UNC managed to escape with the victory over Charlotte and advance to the next round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

Both sides finished regulation and extra time tied 1-1 following a pair of goals late in the second half.

The Tar Heels (7-4-4) struck first when Akeim Clarke scored the first goal of his career with just over 16 minutes remaining on the clock.

Charlotte answered a little under 10 minutes later with a goal from Joe Brito to tie things back up.

After a two scoreless overtime periods, it was time for the penalty shootout–where UNC goalie Alec Smir stole the show with a pair of huge saves that helped deliver the victory.

UNC finished the match having recorded 16 total shots compared to just six for Charlotte.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels move on to face Stanford in the Third Round on Thursday at 6 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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