The North Carolina men’s soccer team (5-3-1, 1-2-0 ACC) lost to UNC Wilmington (6-3-0, 1-1-0 CAA), 2-1, on the road Wednesday night.
What happened?
The Tar Heels and the Seahawks had a competitive first half, as the two teams combined for 11 fouls and four bookings.
Both teams had equal opportunities to open up the scoring, as each side attempted four shots in the first 45 minutes. The defenses remained stout, however, and the game was scoreless heading into the break.
To open the second half, the Tar Heels decided to switch up their rotation by making five substitutions.
The chippy play seemed to continue after the break, as UNC Wilmington’s Nicolas Molina received a red card in the first nine minutes. Despite being outnumbered, the Seahawks were able to get on the board first just eight minutes later when Jacob Evans buried a free kick to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Although the Tar Heels had a one-player advantage after the red card, it was immediately squandered after sophomore defender Riley Thomas was sent off in the 62nd minute. Both sides played with 10 players the rest of the way.
In the 80th minute, the Tar Heels were finally able to break through after sophomore midfielder Tim Schels equalized the score, 1-1.
The tie wouldn't last long, however. Less than two minutes later, the Seahawks were awarded a corner kick and after the ball ricocheted off Wilmington’s Adam Hillis, it found its way into the goal to give the team a 2-1 lead.
