Tars Heels top Eagles to win third ACC title in UNC history

CARY — The North Carolina men’s soccer team entered WakeMed Soccer Park on Sunday having gone 10 seasons without an ACC tournament title.

But in a season defined by changes, the Tar Heels didn’t waste much time in adding another to the list.

At game’s end, the No.3 Tar Heels hoisted their ACC tournament trophy high in the air, excitedly huddled together as they celebrated a 3-1 win against Boston College and their third title in school history.

And they likely wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for their first-year head coach and a transfer from Akron.

Together they led a team Sunday that featured eight new starters at the beginning of the season.

“That’s a lot of new to handle in a short period of time,” said coach Carlos Somoano, who became the first coach to ever win the ACC championship in his first season.

“So I think our expectation was that it wouldn’t be easy and that we’d have to work at it … and not be absorbed with the frustration of failure. And that’s the approach we took.”

Coming off an overtime win against Virginia in the semifinals, Akron transfer and tournament MVP Ben Speas played a large part in ensuring that the Tar Heels wouldn’t again be fighting for their lives in the waning minutes against the Eagles.

After recording an assist on the game’s first goal, the junior forward scored what became the game-deciding goal in the 43rd minute, as a free kick from 40 yards out floated in over the head of goalie Justin Luthy.

To the surprise of the nearly 1,400 spectators in attendance, the ball found net, and it pushed the Tar Heel lead to an ultimately insurmountable 2-0 advantage.

“On those long ones, you want to try to keep it on goal in case something like that does happen,” Speas said. “And the keeper misread it, and it went in the goal.”

But the stadium video board showed things a bit differently. It appeared as though obstruction occurred as Luthy collided with UNC defenders.

“I’m not criticizing the referee because we had the chance to see it on TV,” Boston College coach Ed Kelly said. “But according to the TV people, it was an obstruction on the goalkeeper, so that was hard.”

The call perhaps dug Boston College in a deeper hole than it had a right to be in, but the Eagles did manage to make a game of it in the second half. In the 62nd minute, midfielder Kyle Bekker launched a 20-yard free kick off the right goal post and into the net, cutting the UNC lead in half.

But Speas and the Tar Heels quickly responded about three minutes later, as the forward took a feed from Billy Schuler and rerouted it toward goal.

That sealed the 3-1 victory for the Tar Heels, and the win showcased just how far the team has come this season.

For Somoano, it’s also proof that his once inexperienced team is following the right path.

“It’s a nice reward and tells us we’ve done some things well,” Somoano said. “And it’s good to get that positive feedback.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.