UNC stabs Lancers in big win

For one brief moment it looked like underdog Longwood had stunned the North Carolina men's soccer team with an early opening goal.

Then Justin Hughes flashed into the picture.

The junior goalkeeper, making his first start of the year, made a diving save of a shot from point-blank range by Longwood's Elvis Cosic 10 minutes into the game.

The stop started a lightning-quick counter attack that gave the No. 5 Tar Heels (9-2-1) their first goal in a 5-0 win against the Lancers (2-8-1) Tuesday night in front of 423 at Fetzer Field.

Hughes played his first minutes in goal all year in place of senior Ford Williams and faced only five shots, recording his seventh career shutout.

"We haven't given him time yet, and it was his time today," said UNC coach Elmar Bolowich. "He played a full 90 minutes, and I'm glad he did. And I'm glad he had a shutout."

Hughes, who admitted to being a little nervous before the game, made only one save - but it was a big one.

"At the point, it was somewhat critical because we ended up scoring on the next play," Hughes said.

And that play happened 28 seconds later.

Midfielder Brian Shriver took a pass from fellow freshman Scott Campbell at the top of the box and was able to push it past Longwood goalkeeper Brandt Youmans.

"I looked up for Scott, got a wall pass and was 1-on-1 with the goalie and just tapped it by him," Shriver said.

UNC tallied its second goal of the first half on a rebound by junior defender Ted Odgers after a hard shot from the top of the box by David Boole.

Playing with a large lead, the Tar Heels cruised through the final 45 minutes of play, denying the Lancers any real chance to score.

Junior striker Ben Hunter came off the bench to score two second-half goals, and Campbell added his team-leading sixth goal of the year in a season-high five-goal effort by North Carolina.

Bolowich said "looking to play balls forward to the front line quicker was the emphasis" coming into the game, and after two conference losses in their last three games, the Tar Heels needed to get back on the right foot.

Shriver confirmed Tuesday's win was a statement game for UNC, saying the team "needed to just come out and whip something."

The win sends the Tar Heels on a four-game road trip, starting with a Friday night contest with Maryland.

And the upcoming stretch figures to be an important indicator of how the remainder of the UNC season will play out.

"It's a good test," Bolowich said. "It's not like we haven't done it in the past, so we don't look at it as necessarily a detriment to go on the road. It's just another game for us."

 

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