A second-half goal from Santiago Herrera proved to be the difference Monday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, as the UNC men’s soccer team earned a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

The win gives the Tar Heels (9-4-4) their ninth College Cup appearance and first since 2017.

Wake Forest (13-3-2) scored the game’s first goal in the 10th minute courtesy of Kyle Holcomb, but UNC struck back just 32 seconds later on a goal from Giovanni Montesdeoca.

After a lightning delay came late in the first half and lasted more than half an hour, the teams went into the halftime locker room still tied at 1-1.

The score remained the same until the 68th minute, when Milo Garvanian had a shot blocked and Herrera pounced on the rebound to put UNC ahead for good.

Wake Forest played the final five-plus minutes with a man advantage following a red card to UNC’s Akiem Clarke, but was only able to muster one shot during that time and missed the net wide left.

The Tar Heels finished the night having totaled 11 shots compared to just six for the Demon Deacons, who previously beat UNC 1-0 in overtime back on Oct. 18, 2020.

UNC is now just two wins away from the program’s third national title and first since 2011. The Tar Heels also won the title in 2001, which could be a good omen now in 2021.

Up Next:

A semifinal date against Marshall (11-2-3) now awaits UNC on Friday, with the winner playing either No. 2 Pitt or No. 3 Indiana. Marshall, like the Tar Heels, is not seeded in the tournament and is coming off upset victories over No. 8 Georgetown and No. 1 Clemson.

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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