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The Daily Tar Heel

North Carolina men’s soccer caps off regular season with 3-0 win

notre-dame-soccer

Forward Alan Winn (18) celebrates after scoring against Notre Dame on Friday.

CARY — The No. 3 North Carolina men's soccer team triumphed over the No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 3-0, on Friday night in an ACC coastal division match-up.   

What happened?

The game got off to a sluggish start as neither team could muster a shot on goal until the 34th minute. 

Sophomore midfielder Cam Lindley stepped up to take the corner. He rocketed a pass right in front of the net to redshirt sophomore Jelani Pieters, and Pieters drilled a header into the back of the net for a Tar Heels goal. 

Another opportunity to score came with only seconds remaining in the first half. Senior midfielder David October was fouled right outside of the penalty box, and the Tar Heels were awarded a free kick. Due to the shortage of time, the Tar Heels had to rush a free kick that resulted in a shot just wide of the goal by senior forward Alan Winn.

As a result, the Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead into halftime after controlling much of the first half. 

North Carolina outshot Notre Dame 6-1, and the Tar Heels were able to create two shots on goal as opposed to Notre Dame’s zero. Furthermore, the Tar Heels were able to force four corner kicks and draw six fouls while the Fighting Irish only had one corner and drew two fouls. 

The second half was icing on the cake for UNC. In the 74th minute sophomore Jack Skahan notched his first goal on the season on an assist from Pieters to give the Tar Heels a two-goal lead.

Less than two minutes later, Winn nailed a screamer from outside of the box to give the North Carolina a commanding 3-0 lead. 

This marked his ninth goal on the season, and it was a perfect way to close his final regular season as a Tar Heel.

When was it decided?

North Carolina held onto its lead for a 3-0 victory over the Fighting Irish, and that was clear after Winn notched the Tar Heels' third goal on the day.

Who stood out?

North Carolina would hold onto their lead for a 3-0 victory over the Fighting Irish. Pieters led the way for the Tar Heels as he recorded his seventh goal and seventh assist on the season. Pieter’s goal proved to be the game winner.  

Why does it matter?

The three-goal victory capped off the Tar Heels’ regular season, and it marks North Carolina’s third straight regular season ACC Coastal Division championship. UNC now advances to (14-2-1, 6-1-1 ACC) on the season before the ACC tournament starting Nov. 5.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will next take action in the ACC tournament at 1 p.m. on Sunday November 5th at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

@ballermike28

sports@dailytarheel.com

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