Nyambi Jabang scores twice in first multiple-goal game

Thirty-five yards out, with a defender right behind him, redshirt sophomore midfielder Nyambi Jabang made it look easy.

Coming in as a substitute in the 27th minute, Jabang jumpstarted the No. 15 North Carolina men’s soccer team’s offense — which struggled initially to get strong scoring opportunities — in its 4-0 win against Georgia State (4-7-0, 0-1 Sun Belt ) on Tuesday.

“That’s the point of coming out of the bench,” Jabang said. “As soon as you get in there you want to put something out on the table.”

With one touch around the Georgia State defender, Jabang settled the pass from midfielder Raby George. And then he rocketed the ball toward the far post past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 UNC (9-4-0, 3-2-0 ACC) in the 33rd minute.

But he didn’t take the time to dwell on it.

“The first goal?” he said. “It’s kind of hard to remember, we got a lot of opportunities.”

Jabang fired off seven of UNC’s 18 shots and followed his first goal with another less than 10 minutes later.

In the 43rd minute, sophomore midfielder Omar Holness sent a corner kick into the middle of the box. Jabang slammed a header into the net.

Redshirt senior forward Andy Craven, who scored the first goal Tuesday, said Jabang is a special player.

“Nyambi can literally do anything,” Craven said. “It’s sometimes hard to tell what he’s doing, but then out of nowhere, the ball’s in the back of the net.”

Jabang has suffered multiple injuries during his time at UNC, first recovering from a torn ACL and then a torn meniscus.

His talent has helped carry him through his struggles, and while he said he’s not as physically fit as he needs to be, he continues to make an impact on the field.

These are Jabang’s third and fourth goals of the season and his first game in which he scored multiple goals.

“(I expected him) to try his hardest and play with intensity, contribute to the team and do his best,” Coach Carlos Somoano said.

Despite his success and the excitement fans and other players expressed about his goals, Jabang had a modest attitude.

“It feels good to have them,” he said. “But you can’t be satisfied with them.”

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