M. Soccer: Tar Heels split pair of games in Classic

The North Carolina men’s soccer team ended the weekend in a fashion befitting of the nation’s top-ranked team.

The No. 1 Tar Heels rebounded from Friday’s tie against Northern Illinois with a 4-0 win against Evansville on Sunday.

The celebration that followed would be right at home in the postseason.

With 5:13 remaining in the game, Cameron Brown delivered an 85th-minute bicycle kick 16 yards from the goal Sunday to seal the Carolina Nike Classic title.

With teammates flanking him, Brown raced toward the corner flag with his arms in the air.

“He tries things,” coach Elmar Bolowich said. “He fails and he capitalizes. You’ve seen how he plays. He takes his chances, and it was just one of them well taken.”

The necessary fireworks were absent in the team’s first regular season game Friday, which ended with a 1-1 tie in double overtime.

 “I thought in the Friday game we dug ourselves into a hole,” Bolowich said. “We almost felt like it could be a loss coming out of a tie.

“So the guys, they were challenged. We wanted to win the tournament.”

Bolowich specifically addressed the front four before the game — Brown and Michael Farfan among them. Farfan netted the only goal of Friday’s contest.

“We wanted more out of them looking at Friday’s game,” Bolowich said. “There had to be a different kind of commitment towards intense play and taking opportunities.”

 “And that’s what they did. They delivered.”

Brown delivered with two goals, while Farfan recorded one goal and one assist.

Scoring against Evansville began with a 25-yard goal by Brown with 36 minutes remaining in the first half.

The midfielder went near post with his shot, and the Evansville goalkeeper, Phil Boerger, was unable to block the shot. The Tar Heels entered halftime leading 1-0.

With 32:20 remaining in the second half, Enzo Martinez capitalized on a misplay by an Evansville defender and goalie.

The pair were tangled, and Martinez was able to gather the loose ball. The freshman forward then easily slid a shot into the open net.

Farfan added a goal off an assist from Alex Dixon with 23 minutes remaining before Brown capped off the four-goal differential necessary to clinch the title for the Tar Heels.

 “We were lacking intensity in the first game,” Farfan said. “We needed four goals and we did what we needed to win. That’s all they asked of us.”

UNC’s defense only allowed Evansville four shots, one of which was on goal. But the focus, Bolowich said, was regrouping intensity on both ends of the field.

On Sunday, they did just that.

“We need to start scoring more, that’s for sure,” Farfan said. “ACCs are starting up and that should be a good motivator.”


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.