The No. 4 North Carolina men’s soccer team struggled mightily around the goal in its 1-1 draw against VCU Sunday night.
In a game where the Tar Heels took an astounding 50 shots compared to VCU's four attempts, their efforts ultimately did not result in victory.
After scoring seven goals in their season-opener against Bucknell, the back of the net was harder to find for head coach Carlos Somoano’s group Sunday night, although the opportunities were frequent.
“I feel like we could’ve scored nine goals today,” Somoano said. “We probably could have scored more than we scored against Bucknell. I am going to be a little bit hard on the guys right now, because they have to have a little more courage.”
It's still early in the season, but the Tar Heels will have to continue to get better around the net in order to maintain their top-ten ranking, considering the tough schedule that lies ahead.
Somoano’s squad fought hard the whole night in a physical contest against the Rams, which included three yellow cards, but Rams goalkeeper Mario Sequeira had a career night, saving 13 out of the Tar Heels' 14 shots on goal.
UNC showed toughness in fighting back from a 1-0 deficit that stretched long into the second period. The squad competed in two overtimes, but the fourth-ranked team's statistical performance did not translate well on the field.
Junior forward Jonathan Jimenez said the team has some work to do going forward to reach its full potential.
“To come back from a 1-0 deficit, it definitely shows a little bit of grit, but we could’ve beat them two or three to one,” Jimenez said. “We just have to do better – it’s not good enough. We went back into the locker room and coach is right, we need to finish our chances and be clinical in front of the goal.”