The forwards on the No. 19 North Carolina men’s soccer team have been trying to give the opposing defenders as much pressure as possible this season, even when they don’t have the ball at their feet.
During the team’s 1-0 win over Georgia State Tuesday night, that aggression and movement among themselves was apparent from the start of the game and led to Tyler Engel’s game-winning goal in the 22nd minute.
For the majority of the game, Engel and fellow forwards Verneri Valimaa and Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler were causing havoc for the Panther defenders with the chances they were creating, as well as their up-tempo pressure in the final third of the field.
“I think one of the things we try to focus on is pressing the ball every chance we get,” Vandermaas-Peeler said. “And we get a lot of goals off of their turnovers.
“So that’s a huge game for us, how much we can press and how well we can do it.”
The Tar Heels (8-3-5, 4-1-5 ACC) took advantage of those turnovers Tuesday, as Engel’s goal came from an assist by Vandermaas-Peeler just after the Panthers coughed up possession of the ball.
“Cooper won the ball and he got around the edge,” Engel said. “I just cut in and he played me a good ball. I touched it right past the defender and everybody was kind of sliding over to their left and I just slid it back across the goal to the lower right corner.”
While Vandermaas-Peeler and Engel teamed up for the only goal of the match, Valimaa was creating chances from all over the field throughout the entire game. He placed cross after cross into the box, hoping to deliver the ball to a fellow Tar Heel who could put the ball in the back of the net.
“I try to pick a guy out so if there’s a guy open in the box that I see, then I’ll cross it or try to get it on him,” Valimaa said. “But if not then I’ll try to add a possession if there’s no one clear in the box.”
