Okwuono leads shutout in NCAA Tournament

Boyd Okwuono doesn’t hesitate to say what he expects for the North Carolina men’s soccer team’s defense each and every time the group takes the field.

“I die for shutouts,” the junior defender said after Tuesday’s practice.

But heading into Thursday night’s first round NCAA Tournament matchup against South Florida, it had been more than two weeks since Okwuono, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, looked up at the scoreboard after a game and saw a goose egg under the opposing team’s name.

The Tar Heels dropped two consecutive games before Thursday, and a banged-up back line of defenders allowed a combined total of three goals, failing to put together a complete match.

But a healthy and rejuvenated defense, coming off of a week of rest after a 2-1 ACC Tournament quarterfinal loss, anchored UNC in a physical 1-0 defeat of the Bulls.

Okuwuno said the entire team took the time off to regroup.

“We got the guys together had a little meeting and talked about a lot of stuff we gotta get for the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “Basically expressing it to the rest of the guys, it’s going to take effort to get it done. We had those nine days when coach was talking about, ‘Get it right’ and I think we got it right.”

After failing to suit up in either of UNC’s pair of losses due to an injury, center back Jonathan Campbell returned to the field against South Florida, and coach Carlos Somoano didn’t think twice about inserting the second team All-ACC selection back into the starting lineup.

The Tar Heel defense also returned speedy freshman defender Colton Storm, who was also sidelined after recently battling an injury. And though he was not among the starters when the game kicked off, he substituted in for starter C.J. Odenigwe early in the first half and never returned to the bench.

“I thought they were both exceptional,” Somoano said. “Jon Campbell’s standards are so high, you might be able to say he didn’t play his best game. But his less than best is exceptional. I thought Colton Storm was outstanding as well. It makes such a difference for us. Not just because they’re good players, but they’re the guys we’ve kind of build a rhythm into.

“As you can see, Jonathan and Colton were starting for a reason.”

Add Campbell and Storm to UNC’s back line that features Okwuono, third team All-ACC Selection Jordan McCrary, talented youngster Nick Williams and is backed by second team All-ACC goalkeeper Brendan Moore, and the Tar Heels returned to the standard that led them to nine shutouts on the year as the nation’s ninth-ranked defense.

UNC held the Bulls to just five shots on the night while defending an early goal from freshman Omar Holness.

For Holness, the defense is a well-respected safety net.

“Knowing that (Boyd) and Jonny and the rest of the back line is around there I feel a sense of comfort,” said Holness, an All-ACC Freshman Team selection.

After the game ended, Okwuno perhaps also felt a sense of comfort as he walked down the field clapping his hands and high-fiving his teammates, only to look up to the scoreboard and see just what he lives and dies for — a shutout.