The No. 21 North Carolina men’s soccer team continued its recent struggles on Tuesday night at Campbell University, tying the unranked Camels 1-1 in double overtime after a grueling 110 minutes of play.
What happened?
The Tar Heels came out strong offensively, earning four corner kicks and firing off two shots within the first 15 minutes of play. It was North Carolina’s inability to capitalize on these opportunities throughout the game that ultimately decided the game.
After the initial onslaught by the Tar Heels, Campbell began to settle in and produce some goal scoring opportunities of its own. The Camels were able to capitalize in the 20th minute on their first earned corner kick, finishing a lofted cross with a low header that bounced off the wet turf and through the legs of senior midfielder, Jack Skahan.
North Carolina wasted no time in equalizing the score. In an exhibition of excellent passing, junior Alex Rose sent the ball over to Skahan at the top right corner of the box who immediately sent it back into the center. Without taking a touch to collect it, Rose struck the ball low and hard towards the Campbell goalkeeper. The ball deflected off the keeper and slowly dribbled past the goal line to give Rose his seventh goal of the season in the 23rd minute.
The quick succession of these goals would not reflect the rest of the game. After scoring two goals in a three-minute span, the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 for the remainder of the contest.
“We were dominating the game and playing pretty well. We just couldn’t really finish our chances,” Rose said. “It was unfortunate that the game ended in a tie.”
Frustrations rose in a second period that saw five yellow cards, four of which came in the final six minutes of regulation.
“It was just the heat of the moment,” Rose said. “I know every player out there wants to win badly, and everyone’s doing their best to win. But sometimes people just get mad in the moment and heat up.”
