UNC men's soccer defeats No. 1 Louisville

Facing the nation’s No. 1 team in the Carolina Nike Classic for the second year in a row, the North Carolina men’s soccer team achieved a more favorable result in 2011 than it did in 2010.

North Carolina was reeling after a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Akron Zips a year ago. This time around, the No. 2 Tar Heels sang a song of triumph following a 2-1 victory against the Louisville Cardinals at Fetzer Field on Sunday and are now a perfect 3-0 on the season.

The Tar Heels relished this victory even more after their 2010 season ended with a loss to Louisville in the College Cup. The history between the two teams made Sunday’s matchup a high-octane affair.

“It was a huge game for us,” redshirt junior Billy Schuler said. “We came out fired up. We knew it would be a tough game.”

North Carolina dominated possession and shots on goal early, but it was the Cardinals who struck first when senior Louisville forward Nick DeLeon beat Tar Heel keeper Scott Goodwin in the 33rd minute.

“I think that goal, it didn’t catch us off guard, but we have to improve a little bit to not let that happen again,” senior captain Kirk Urso said.

Despite allowing an early goal, North Carolina kept the momentum it gained from a five-goal second half against Oregon State on Friday, responding five minutes later with a goal of its own.

UNC sophomore forward Rob Lovejoy scored for the third time this season when he dribbled around a pair of Cardinal defenders and blasted a shot into the back of the net, breathing life back into a stunned Tar Heel squad.

“Robby has a big heart. He’s unbelievable,” coach Carlos Somoano said. “Carlos McCrary did a great job of picking up the ball and dishing it off at the right moment, and Robby went for the kill. He sharpened his knife and just stuck it in.”

The second half started much like the first half did, with North Carolina playing the role of aggressor and spending most of its time with possession on Louisville’s side of the field.

UNC had a chance to score in the 55th minute when junior Enzo Martinez eluded a Cardinal defender to get within 12 yards of the goal, but the midfielder had his chip shot punched away by Louisville goalie Andre Boudreaux.

Both teams appeared to wear down during the next 15 minutes, and seven fouls and a pair of yellow cards were handed out. But UNC soon regrouped and found its golden goal off the right foot of Schuler in the 74th minute.

Martinez sent a pass through the box to Schuler, who caught the Louisville defense sleeping as he dropped behind it and drilled a shot past Boudreaux.

“I knew everyone was stepping up, and I just drifted backwards,” Schuler said. “I just slid in between two defenders, and it was a great ball through.”

Schuler is a familiar hero for North Carolina this season. He’s notched the game winner for the Tar Heels in each contest they’ve had in 2011.

After missing almost all of the 2010 season, the redshirt junior has already tallied four goals and pairs with Lovejoy to form a fierce tandem on North Carolina’s front line.

Friday night’s match against Oregon State took a similar path. The Tar Heels found themselves down 1-0 at halftime before Lovejoy and Schuler each scored within the first five minutes of the second half to put UNC up for good.

“It’s always comforting to know that I have options,” Urso said. “Whether it’s springing Robby or Schuler long, they both have pace.”

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