Despite controlling possession and having several scoring chances, it only took one lapse of focus for the North Carolina men’s soccer team to surrender a second-half goal to Boston College. The goal broke a scoreless tie and put an abrupt end to No. 4 North Carolina’s ACC tournament run.
What happened?
After a first half where North Carolina (11-3-3, 5-1-1 ACC) had eight shots, it appeared that it would only be a matter of time until they finally broke through the Boston College (8-7-3, 3-3-2 ACC) defense and finished with a goal. The Tar Heels began the second half with three corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes, but they were unable to capitalize.
Following a penalty, Boston College goalkeeper Cedric Saladin’s ensuing free kick eventually found midfielder Zeiko Lewis who made his way into the attacking third. With the Tar Heels in position defensively, Lewis fired a shot from just outside the box that appeared to be no trouble for goalkeeper James Pyle. As the ball travelled in, defender Alex Comsia tried to block the shot, but the ball continued on its path to goal after it deflected off of Comsia’s cheek. The ball then nestled in the right side of the goal as Pyle was unable to make the save after initially lunging the other way, and Lewis gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead with 32 minutes remaining.
Who stood out?
For Boston College, Saladin initially stood out for the near fight he caused, but got the last laugh with his acrobatic saves. In the 57th minute, UNC was on the attack and the ball was free in front of the goal as Andy Lopez slid in to try and put the ball in the back of the net. As Lopez slid in, Boston College goalkeeper Cedric Saladin fell on top of the ball and tucked it securely into his stomach. Saladin took exception to Lopez’s slide and punched him while he was on the ground, which brought nearly all of the players on the field into the box to break up the scrum. Play continued after Lopez and Saladin were given yellow cards for the altercation, and the crowd at Fetzer field serenaded Saladin in boos for the remainder of the match.
The jeers from the crown only fueled Saladin, as he preserved the lead for the Eagles with his save on midfielder Cam Lindley’s free kick. Lindley delivered his ball in the top right corner of the goal inches away from the post and crossbar. But Saladin dove and deflected it off course.
When was it decided?
Down a goal and looking for the equalizer, North Carolina’s best chance came when midfielder Nico Melo entered the box after he evaded an Eagle defender with some nifty footwork. Melo tried to bend his shot into the left side of the goal but missed wide. Following the shot, the Eagles dropped all 11 back on defense and didn’t allow UNC to generate any scoring chances.
