CARY — The North Carolina men’s soccer team entered WakeMed Soccer Park on Sunday having gone 10 seasons without an ACC tournament title.
But in a season defined by changes, the Tar Heels didn’t waste much time in adding another to the list.
At game’s end, the No.3 Tar Heels hoisted their ACC tournament trophy high in the air, excitedly huddled together as they celebrated a 3-1 win against Boston College and their third title in school history.
And they likely wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for their first-year head coach and a transfer from Akron.
Together they led a team Sunday that featured eight new starters at the beginning of the season.
“That’s a lot of new to handle in a short period of time,” said coach Carlos Somoano, who became the first coach to ever win the ACC championship in his first season.
“So I think our expectation was that it wouldn’t be easy and that we’d have to work at it … and not be absorbed with the frustration of failure. And that’s the approach we took.”
Coming off an overtime win against Virginia in the semifinals, Akron transfer and tournament MVP Ben Speas played a large part in ensuring that the Tar Heels wouldn’t again be fighting for their lives in the waning minutes against the Eagles.
After recording an assist on the game’s first goal, the junior forward scored what became the game-deciding goal in the 43rd minute, as a free kick from 40 yards out floated in over the head of goalie Justin Luthy.