Just like the last time the North Carolina men's soccer team played Syracuse, the Orange walked into the locker room at halftime with a 1-0 lead.
But unlike then, when the Tar Heels came back to win 2-1, Syracuse held on to defeat UNC in penalty kicks 4-3 after failing to break a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime.
Both teams had trouble generating offense in the first half of the ACC quarterfinal match, combining for only four total shots. UNC was without the services of sophomore forward Alan Winn, who could not play because of a red card he received in the regular season finale against Virginia.
But Syracuse managed to break through in the 28th minute. A skipping cross from Liam Callahan bounced off defender Jonathan Campbell and into the goal.
The Tar Heels picked up steam in the second half, leaving in first half substitutes Tucker Hume and Andy Lopez at forward and shifting sophomore forward Zach Wright to the right wing. That switch helped generate eight second-half shots for UNC — including Hume's equalizing goal, which came from a shot near the top left corner of the box, was deflected off a diving goalkeeper and went inside the near post for the goal.
Despite several other chances, neither team could break through in the second half and overtime. In penalty kicks, a few brilliant saves by redshirt first-year goalkeeper James Pyle helped keep UNC alive. But ultimately misses by Campbell, Warren Marshall and Alex Olofson doomed UNC's chances.
Quotable
"You get into the postseason play against a legitimate top ten team and think that you’re going to score four or five goals, that’s probably not a realistic expectation. All we’re looking for is one more than the opponent, and I think we had chances today." — Coach Carlos Somoano
