UNC ties Duke, still winless in ACC play

The tie streak continued under white lights and clear sky, its hold unyielding and indefinite.

North Carolina men’s soccer has played five ACC games this season, and North Carolina men’s soccer has five conference ties this season.

This one, an 0-0 overtime draw against Duke on Friday at Fetzer Field, was supposed to be No. 6 UNC’s step forward: a home game against its rival, in front of more than 4,500 fans, fueled by the anxiety of not having won since Sept. 17.

It wasn’t. And the Tar Heels walked off the field unfulfilled but wary of becoming paralyzed by frustration.

“Our objective is to win, and we didn’t meet our objective,” coach Carlos Somoano said plainly after the game. “If (our feeling) is going to be frustration and distract us from getting better, then that’s not going to do us any good.”

His players know that too, and they are hopeful that the streak is nearing its end.

“Five ties in the conference, it’s hard not to respond with frustration, but that’s what we’re trying to stay away from,” said redshirt junior goalkeeper Brendan Moore. “The breakthrough is right in front of us.”

It almost came several times Friday.

There was freshman defender Colton Storm with a powerful shot in the first half, tipped wide by Duke goalie Alex Long.

There was junior midfielder Verneri Valimaa — UNC’s engine for most of the game, who led the team with five shots on the night — stealing the ball and having his goal-bound curled shot barely saved by Long just moments later.

Then, in the second overtime, there was sophomore defender Jonathan Campbell skying for a header near Duke’s six-yard box and watching it land just wide.

UNC outshot Duke 20 to six and forced Long into seven saves. They controlled possession and had more and better scoring opportunities. They felt they should have won.

“When we get a win, it’s really going to turn things around. We’re so close to making that happen — it’s just a matter of when,” said senior forward Josh Rice.

UNC pointed to a number of reasons for its run of ties: lack of poise in the final third, a fluid mix of strikers, missing top playmakers Rob Lovejoy and Andy Craven to injury.

Somoano believes another is opponents’ defensive strategy — clearing the ball any time it reaches their defensive third, making UNC restart its attack in its own half every time it loses possession.

“Teams for the most part tend to play a little more direct against us,” he said. “What we’re asking to do is not an easy thing, but it’s also something that good teams will do: find a way to seize the moments and seize the opportunities. And that’s where we’re just missing.”

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