Men's soccer takes down Old Dominion

All it took was two corner kicks, two transfer players and two goals, but North Carolina got the job done against Old Dominion, 2-1.

After striking early in its last exhibition go-round, UNC again found itself on the doorstep of a goal six minutes into its contest against the Monarchs.

Junior Michael Farfan, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton, stood primed for a free kick opportunity, but his shot into the lower right corner was deflected away, and the Tar Heels eventually won a corner.

On the ensuing play, Farfan was again over the ball ­— as he kicked an in-swinger that met the head of senior Stephen McCarthy, a Santa Clara transfer.

“I think (Farfan) was going near,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know if I was right. I headed toward the near and got lucky on that one.”

In the Tar Heels’ last exhibition, McCarthy found himself in much the same position and finished nicely. This time would be no different as he edged UNC ahead.

Yet with usual right back Eddie Ababio sidelined, North Carolina’s first half defense was shaky, to say the least. With just less than 20 minutes to play, senior Javier Velez dinked a pass back to goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty. But the pass was so slow that an Old Dominion forward intercepted and rocketed a shot.

Luckily for the Tar Heels, Haggerty was up to the task. But four minutes later, another breakdown in the back led to an ODU goal.

“I was very, very disappointed at halftime,” coach Elmar Bolowich said. “I felt like we were wasting an opportunity.”

Still, UNC didn’t seem panicked. The squad built up the attack and eventually won another corner. It didn’t seem likely that lightning could strike in the same place twice, but that’s what happened.

For again, there was Farfan. Again, there was another in-swinging corner kick. And again, there was McCarthy — putting his head to the ball for another goal.

The second half had a different tone, as both teams went to their respective benches frequently. The play was reduced to a stalemate, though Haggerty did keep the Tar Heels ahead with several key saves.

“Fortunately, (the team) pulled through and we showed better in the second half,” Bolowich said. “We’ll see how we continue.”


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.