UNC men's soccer players Hume and Lopez give spark from the bench

Neither Tucker Hume nor Andy Lopez played in 2014 — but after four games for the No. 4 North Carolina men’s soccer team (3-0-1) in 2015, the two have already scored.

After redshirting his freshman season, Lopez was the first to find the back of the net, scoring in the Tar Heels’ 3-0 victory over Santa Clara on Aug. 30. Hume was right behind him, scoring his first career goal for UNC in the 41st minute of the Tar Heels’ 2-1 win against Tulsa on Sunday.

Hume — who transferred to UNC in 2014 and redshirted — proved the difference in the tight game against the Golden Hurricane, scoring the winning goal.

“It’s definitely a different mindset coming off the bench,” Hume said. “We expect ourselves to raise the standard.”

The 6-foot-5-inch forward is a threat on crosses in the box and corner kicks — using his height to his advantage.

“We do look for me or (senior defender Jonathan Campbell) on corners,” Hume said, “It’s a dynamic of my game that I can use.”

Hume and Lopez have both been coming off the bench for the Tar Heels to replace sophomore forward Zach Wright and junior midfielder Omar Holness toward the end of each half. Their different styles have been an asset for UNC’s offense.

“I’m always trying to play underneath him,” Lopez said. “We both have different styles of play, and we just try to help each other out that way.”

The starting attackers for UNC have shown promise, but Wright is the only one to score thus far.

With just seven goals through four games, the Tar Heels’ offense is looking for a spark to ignite the individual play-making ability its attackers possess.

Coach Carlos Somoano said UNC’s schedule over the past two weeks could be to blame for the offensive slump, as they have played a pair of games both weekends with just one day of rest in between.

“Right now we are playing Friday and Sunday two weeks in a row, so we are in need of extra legs,” Somoano said, “As the season moves into a different segment, we will take a look at our substitution patterns.”

Lopez and Hume both said their goal is to maintain and raise the standard of play when coming off the bench.

“Every time you come off the bench, you just have to play your part, try to make an impact,” Lopez said.

And as the Tar Heels enter conference play over the next two weeks with a pair of games against Virginia Tech and No. 5 Notre Dame, the pair of offensive substitutes will be looked upon to carry some of the attacking load.

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