After missing his first start of the season in the opening round of the ACC tournament Tuesday, injured North Carolina forward Billy Schuler clocked only 73 combined minutes during Friday’s semifinal and Sunday’s championship match.
But he made sure those minutes counted.
On Friday, the redshirt junior made an appearance in the second half and won the game for the No. 3 Tar Heels with a golden goal less than two minutes into the first overtime period. And on Sunday, Schuler tallied an assist on an insurance goal by Ben Speas to put the Tar Heels up 3-1 on No. 13 Boston College.
Schuler’s playmaking has been a highlight of the season for UNC. As the team-leading scorer with 14 goals, Schuler has also notched four assists.
Despite his injury — a strained muscle in his left leg — Schuler managed to contribute to the team just as first-year head coach Carlos Somoano had hoped.
“It was pretty much predetermined,” Somoano said of Schuler’s second half entry, 64 minutes into the championship match.
“We had discussed before the game that we would try to keep him down to about 20 to 30 minutes. And it was about the time of the game when we were under a little pressure and could use a little help anyway.”
Schuler, one of five Tar Heels named to the All-ACC Tournament Team, tallied three shots, one goal and one assist during the tournament. And his presence on the field was definitely noted by both his teammates and his opponents.
“I think that when he came on the field, he did the same thing we were trying to do,” midfielder Enzo Martinez said.