Defense lifts men's soccer in weekend matches

With the return of injured forwards Rob Lovejoy and Andy Craven, many expect the No. 13 North Carolina men’s soccer team to score in bunches.

The two redshirt seniors were the top-scoring tandem for the Tar Heels in 2012, combining for 11 goals.

But with four upperclassmen defenders coming back from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, and senior Brendan Moore guarding the net, the truth is – they might not have to.

The Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0 ACC) proved that this weekend, as a pair of inspired defensive performances led the team to two 1-0 wins at the 39th annual Stihl Soccer Classic against Old Dominion (0-2-0, C-USA 0-0-0)  and Virginia Commonwealth University (2-2-0, Atlantic 10 0-0-0).

In the preseason, the defense had quite a few question marks. But after some shuffling among the starting lineup, coach Carlos Somoano said the back four is starting to come together.

“We looked really out of sync before the regular season started,” Somoano said. “But all the guys have worked hard and the team defense has definitely looked the most improved since then.”

UNC has given up only two goals in its first four matches, and picked up two shutouts in its weekend contests.

The Tar Heels began the weekend in Norfolk, Va. against the Monarchs, who opened up the season with a hard-fought overtime loss against No. 3 Virginia.

The first half was highly-contested, each team sharing possession of the ball, as well as a few scoring opportunities. The stalemate lifted, however, right before halftime, as Craven put the ball in the back of the net off his own rebound just 34 seconds before intermission.

The defense completely shut down Old Dominion in the second half, allowing the Monarchs just two shots in the game’s final 45 minutes. UNC outshot ODU 17-5 on the night.

The momentum created by the defense carried into Sunday’s match against VCU, as the Tar Heels held the Rams to four shots in the first half, only one of which was on goal. But as the second half began, VCU began to pick up the pace, and UNC found itself on its heels in the 56th minute.

The Rams won a corner kick shortly before, and the ensuing minutes led to two of the team’s best chances on the night. One VCU forward’s shot was blocked by a Tar Heel defender, and the following shot by Ray De Leon sailed just over the crossbar.

UNC quickly started its counterattack following the two shots, as Craven again found himself with the ball in the attacking third. In the 57th minute, the senior deposited the ball in the Rams goal, giving the Tar Heels the lead on his third goal of the year.

“They put us under some pressure right there after halftime,” Moore said. “The key for us was to not get erratic, and we were able to get forward on the counterattack because of it.”

Moore made two saves on the night to keep his second straight clean sheet.

While the defense was able to hold on both games after going up 1-0, Somoano said that the team’s focus in training will be on converting with the lead.

“Both times this weekend we worked so hard to get a goal, and sort of forgot that we still had a match to play,” he said. “It’s been a combination of things, but we need to be able to get those second and third goals.”

sports@dailytarheel.com