McCrary, Tar Heels hungry to beat Duke

Jordan McCrary remembers exactly how it happened.

Two years ago at Fetzer Field, it was his first game against Duke. The Blue Devils had just scored and he and the Tar Heels couldn’t afford to surrender another goal.

A 50-50 ball presented itself and McCrary just knew he had to get it.

“I’m not letting some Duke guy come through here and beat me on my own turf,” McCrary said of what went through his mind during the play.

But when the defender challenged the Blue Devil midfielder, he went in too aggresively. And the result?

An immediate red card ejection, forcing McCrary to walk off the field alone with time still on the clock and the feeling he had not done his job.

Tonight, the Blue Devils will return to Chapel Hill for the first time in the regular season since that infamous September night to face the No. 6 North Carolina men’s soccer team.

This time, McCrary only has one thing he plans on walking off the field with in mind — a win.

“I have more than any amount of confidence for this team that we’re going to come out of this win,” he said.

Both UNC (3-1-4, 0-0-4 ACC) and Duke (4-4-2, 0-3-1 ACC) head into the matchup looking for their first conference win. And for the Tar Heels a victory tonight would also be their first since a 1-0 overtime win against Campbell Sept. 17.

But while coach Carlos Somoano expressed a similar hunger to win as McCrary, he said he doesn’t want his players to put too much focus on the rivalry aspect of the game.

“It’s a fun game from the rivalry standpoint and we usually have a good crowd,” he said. “But if we’re thinking about Duke or having a great time then we’re not thinking about winning.”

“We’ve talked about it for the last two or three weeks — everything has to be figuring out how to win the game and we’re 100% dedicated mentally to figuring out how to win the game tomorrow.”

But in order to best the Blue Devils, UNC will have to do something it’s struggled with all season — score goals. After netting five goals in their first two games of the season, the Tar Heels have recorded the same amount in six games since, and are currently second to last in the ACC in both goals and shots.

For Somoano, the key for UNC to put points on the scoreboard is developing camaraderie in the team’s attack while avoiding desperation.

“Goals are hard to score in soccer for everybody, not just us, so finding that right chemistry is always important,” Somoano said. “And also, it’s like a batter in a slump, you can’t let it become a mental issue. We’re just relaxed and have to not go out worried about ‘oh gosh, we haven’t scored goals’ and start feeling desperate and taking desperate shots, making desperate plays.”

UNC’s success on offense will also be determined by persistence, senior forward Josh Rice said.

“It’s going to take opportunities, a lot of anticipation,” he said. “Maybe it won’t be the first chance that we have but we just gotta keep our heads up and keep getting our shots on goal.”

On defense, the Tar Heels have flourished through chemistry with a veteran back line. UNC is second in the ACC in goals against per game, having allowed just four goals in seven games. Redshirt junior goalkeeper and first-year starter Brendan Moore is also second in the conference with four shutouts.

“We have a good team chemistry and all but the back line is something different,” McCrary said. “We all know how to cover each others backs, we’re all there for each other.”

But UNC’s back line will be tested against a Blue Devil offense that has scored a combined eight goals in their four wins.

Yet McCrary is not worried, and this time he’s sure of one thing.

“No red cards,” he said.