Men's soccer captures first conference win

After scoring just two goals in the past five games, the North Carolina men’s soccer team found success against Boston College, stringing together passes and possessing the ball until opportunities were available.

UNC (4-2-5, 1-1-5 ACC) capitalized early, and staved off a late charge from the Eagles in a 2-1 win — the team’s first against a conference opponent.

Redshirt senior Josh Rice said the team played as well as it had all season in the first half.

“It was fluid and it felt good to possess the ball for 10 or 15 passes and be on the same page with a lot of other teammates,” Rice said. “With the exception of maybe one or two other games that was maybe the only time it’s happened this season.”

UNC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when junior forward Tyler Engel scored off of a pass from midfielder Alex Olofson.

Engel, who leads the Tar Heels with four goals, took a team-high four shots including a 23rd minute header that was stopped by goalie Alex Kapp.

Rice scored what would become the deciding goal in the 25th minute on the type of play coach Carlos Somoano has urged his players to make.

The Tar Heels were awarded a free kick and midfielder Raby George fired a shot, forcing Kapp to punch the ball into the air off the crossbar. Rice collected the rebound and tapped the ball in for his second goal of the season.

Somoano said he has talked with his players ad nauseum about pouncing on loose balls as Rice did.

“Any forward who’s successful is constantly sniffing out and chasing every lost cause there is, and then they all of a sudden happen to be there when they need to,” he said. “The reality is it’s not an accident when you show up at the right place at the right time.”

The Tar Heels had an opportunity to ice the game in the 71st minute when George was awarded a penalty kick, but his attempt missed wide, and the Eagles stayed within two goals.

Boston College climbed back into the game in the 83rd minute when forward Isaac Normesinu received a cross from the right side at the goal line and scored.

Rice said he was disappointed that the team didn’t sustain its first-half aggressiveness and played conservatively with a late one-goal lead.

“When they scored, I think it was a little bit of a panic like, ‘Oh, we don’t want to tie again. We don’t want to tie again,’” Rice said. “We kind of freaked out just a bit, but luckily we were able to get the win.”

sports@dailytarheel.com