The No. 2 North Carolina men's soccer team defeated No. 22 Syracuse 2-1 on Saturday night to earn its eighth consecutive win.
But the win was by no means an easy one.
UNC (10-0-1, 5-0-0 ACC) started off the game disconnected. Its energy level seemed lower than usual, and the team struggled throughout the first half to convert opportunities into goals. Errors on offense and defense gave Syracuse (8-3-1, 2-2-1 ACC) an edge.
In the 23rd minute, a miscommunication allowed a header by Syracuse freshman defender Miles Robinson to break past the Tar Heel defense and roll into the back of the net for the first goal of the game and just the seventh allowed by UNC this season. Syracuse held this lead for the majority of the game.
Entering the second half, North Carolina struggled to respond. The battle was a physical one, but neither team was able to score for the first 23 minutes of the half. As the clock began to wind down, UNC’s undefeated record appeared to be in jeopardy.
That is, until redshirt junior forward Tucker Hume exploited a hole in the Syracuse defense. Off of an assist from sophomore forward Alan Winn, Hume scored the first Tar Heel goal, tying the score at 1 in the 74th minute.
Less than 10 minutes after Hume’s goal, Alex Olofson scored an unassisted goal to claim the lead for the Tar Heels, putting the pressure on Syracuse to answer the call.
But the UNC defense clamped down on the Orange. The Tar Heels held onto their lead — and their undefeated record — for the rest of the game.
