Hoping to match their women’s counterparts–who are in San Jose this week for the NCAA College Cup– the UNC men’s soccer team is just one win away from reaching its own Final Four in Houston, Texas.
To get there, however, the Tar Heels–given the No. 9 national seed before the tournament–must defeat the upstart Providence Friars in their NCAA Quarterfinal match on Friday night.
As if UNC needed any more reasons to be pumped up, it will also be the last game played at Fetzer Field until the 2018 season while the stadium undergoes renovations next year.
Although Providence entered the tournament without a national seed, the Friars have established themselves as one of the hottest teams in America with wins in 11 of their last 12 outings.
A three-game losing streak back in September likely hurt Providence’s cause in the rankings, but the team has responded with 22 goals since then. They’re led by senior forward Julian Gressel, who led the entire Big East conference with 15 goals himself this season.
The Tar Heels, on the other hand, are the only team to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense per game.
No team has allowed less than the 10 goals UNC has given up this season, as goalie James Pyle has been a rock for head coach Carlos Somoano all year long.
Nils Bruening led the Tar Heels with eight goals in 2016, while junior Zach Wright was second with seven.
A win would give UNC its first NCAA College Cup appearance on the men’s side since 2011, the year Somoano’s team took home their most recent national championship.
The match will be streamed live on ESPN3 beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.
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