CARY – The No. 7 North Carolina men's soccer team cruised to a 4-1 victory over George Washington on Tuesday night. Forward Alan Winn scored two goals for the Tar Heels (7-1, 2-0 ACC), who won their fifth consecutive game.
What happened?
For four seconds in the first half, UNC enjoyed a 3-0 lead.
Four seconds was all it lasted, though.Coming off a Tar Heel goal, George Washington placed the ball at midfield, the ref blew the whistle and the Colonials answered with a midfield chip of the goalkeeper to bring the score to 3-1.
That heads-up play from George Washington’s Koby Osei-Wusu, however, proved to be a slight hiccup on the way to an otherwise smooth victory for the Tar Heels at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
In the first half, UNC controlled possession. Several scoring chances in the early going tested the Colonial defense, but none found the back of the net. In the 20th minute, a goal from midfielder David October ignited the offense for the Tar Heels. Forward Alan Winn one-upped his teammate by scoring twice before the end of the first half.
His first goal came off an assist from forward Zach Wright. Wright penetrated the defense, and his pass across the box found Winn’s foot. Winn took time to settle the pass and blasted a shot past the keeper in the bottom left corner.
His second goal came in the 44th minute after UNC’s forwards consistently pressured the George Washington defense. Persistent harassment from forward Jelani Pieters forced GWU’s goalkeeper into a giveaway just outside the goal box. Winn collected the goalie’s poor pass and blasted it by him to put the Tar Heels up 3-0.
UNC looked comfortable at the end of the half until GWU’s quick answer reduced its deficit to 3-1 going into the break.
