For twenty-one minutes Tuesday, North Carolina seemingly passed up opportunity after opportunity. Although the No. 1 Tar Heels (1-0) would end the half with 10 shots, extra passes and too much dribbling doomed the team within close range. But when sophomore midfielder Kirk Urso took control of a loose ball just outside the 18-yard box, that all changed.
Urso hit a perfectly placed rocket in the right corner. The UNC-Asheville (0-1) goalie, Lassi Hurskainen, could do nothing with the shot – even as he was fully outstretched. Though North Carolina went stale for next 35 minutes, at least as goals are concerned, opportunities persisted.
And when Alex Dixon headed in a Billy Schuler cross, the route was on as UNC eventually won, 5-0. From there, the Tar Heels added three more goals, with Urso getting his first multiple goal game of his career.
Coach Elmar Bolowich will certainly be pleased with his team’s barrage. During the team’s three exhibitions, the Tar Heels only managed two goals from their forwards – a fact certainly not lost on the UNC coach. Last week, he even noted his disappointment with the team’s finishing from up top. But with two goals from forwards Tuesday, the Tar Heel strikers did show some improvement.
