The goalkeeper battle that headlined the No. 4 North Carolina men's soccer team's preseason was officially over before the start of the first match.
Redshirt Freshman James Pyle won the job and held a clean sheet in his first two games between the sticks. But after Friday night’s 1-1 draw against William & Mary (1-1-1) the starting goalkeeper discussion might have opened back up.
UNC (2-0-1) was forced to play redshirt senior keeper Sam Euler after Pyle was injured before the end of the first half. Pyle let a goal by him before the goalscorer collided with him, resulting in Pyle laying face down on the ground for about a minute.
“(The goalscorer) got through and I knew I would have to get big to have a chance to get a touch on it,” Pyle said. “I think his leg or body followed through and hit me right in the pelvis region.”
The goal before halftime was the first UNC had conceded in its opening three games.
The Tar Heels came out in the second half with Euler in goal for the first time during the regular season.
“At halftime I knew I was coming in,” he said. “I just prepared myself as best as I could, and I think it went well.”
With the two teams locked in a 1-1 tie, Euler got a full 45 minutes of playing time plus 30 minutes of extra time. The backup keeper saw a few of the Tribe’s shots come his way, but none of them were too hard to handle.
“It was great to get out there,” Euler said. “Any time you can get there and help the team is rewarding. It’s nice to come in and help the team preserve the draw.”
