UNC tops Tigers despite another 1st-half snooze

Five minutes before North Carolina's men's soccer game Friday, the stands at Fetzer Field were mostly empty.

Sure, the band had managed to cobble together a few tuba players and a guy with cymbals and even some woodwinds to play the national anthem. But that was only about 20 members - and about a third of the attendance.

The starting lineups were read, and people clapped. About five people. You could tell because you could hear the different sound each one made.

But after 10 minutes had elapsed, a few more people were there. And then a few more. And by halftime the bleachers were tending less toward empty and more toward full.

Maybe they had the right idea: skip the first half, which typically has been boring, and show up for the second, which typically has had scoring.

It was - no surprise here - a tale of two halves for the No. 3 Tar Heels again, as they got a goal from freshman midfielder Scott Campbell in the 62nd minute and held off 17th-ranked Clemson for a 1-0 win and their best start since 1991, when they also began the year 6-0-1.

"For some reason we've been dead in the first half, like it almost takes us a while to get going," Campbell said. "It's a bad habit that we really need to work on, because if we can get going in the first 10 minutes - put teams away early - the game could be totally different."

Instead, UNC (1-0-1 in the ACC) has scored four first-half goals this season - and eight in the second half.

"It's not necessarily just putting chances away," said Coach Elmar Bolowich. "It's just having a little bit more of an intensity level from the kickoff. That's what's missing for 90 minutes."

Luckily for the Tar Heels, though, that sluggishness has been made bearable by the fact that they've yet to allow a first-half goal - not one that's counted, at least.

Clemson did find the back of the net Friday, when a Tiger striker pounced on a ricochet in the 38th minute and knocked it past Tar Heel goalkeeper Ford Williams.

There were just two problems: One, he used his hand, and two, he wasn't Diego Maradona.

Twenty four minutes later, a similar situation unfolded - but this time it was UNC that found the back of the net. And this time the goal actually counted.

Junior forward Corey Ashe was fouled just outside the box while attempting one of his jitterbug-quick jukes, and sophomore midfielder Dax McCarty took the free kick.

The ball somehow snuck through the Clemson wall, squarely struck the left post and rebounded straight back into the box.

Tiger keeper Phil Marfuggi watched the ball as it rolled past him twice, and all of his defenders watched it, too, like someone had suddenly flipped a switch and set the game to half-speed.

That setting didn't account for Campbell, though, and he darted past the wall and punched it home for an easy goal that sent Clemson (4-2-1, 0-2-0) back to South Carolina with its tail between its legs.

"Sometimes you get lucky and the wall will make a mistake," McCarty said. "Two players on the wall kind of turned their backs, and the ball just got right through. I thought it was going in, (but) it hit off the post and luckily for us bounced right to Scotty.

"It was a great goal."

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.