The top-seeded North Carolina men’s soccer team struggled to find a rhythm in the first half of Sunday’s NCAA third round game as Indiana threw a wrench in its well-oiled machine with some troubling matchups.
But the Tar Heels overcame the defensive chokehold with a 1-0 overtime win against No. 16-seeded Indiana.
Much of the sloppy first half play by UNC can be attributed to the disruptive presence of the Hoosier’s midfielders – Jacob Bushue and Kerel Bradford.
Bushue managed to single-handedly negate the efforts of junior midfielder Enzo Martinez, North Carolina’s second leading scorer, for the majority of the game.
Indiana’s goalkeeper Luis Soffner was able to handle the Tar Heels’ explosive offense throughout regulation thanks to the solid Hoosier defensive line. Soffner made only four saves on the day, despite a total of 20 shots from the Tar Heels, including three for leading scorer, Billy Schuler.
“(Our defense) was really good as a unit today,” Soffner said. “Our communication in the last couple of games has been really good … We knew we were going to have our hands full today, and I think our holding midfielders and our four backs did a really good job of containing (the Tar Heels).”
Martinez and Schuler’s combined 23 goals on the season didn’t seem to phase the midfielders, who continued to drive the Hoosiers forward throughout the game. UNC’s leading scorers managed only a combined ten shots on the day, due mostly to Indiana’s defensive efforts.
The defensive midfield duo also managed to shut down captain Kirk Urso and reserve Josh Rice for the majority of regulation.
Carlos Somoano, the first year head coach for UNC, recognized that his team did not come out as the aggressors on Sunday, but instead played it safe in an effort to advance.
