The North Carolina men’s soccer team (9-5-1, 3-4 ACC) rallied in the second half to upset No. 13 Virginia Tech (9-3-3, 3-3-1 ACC), 2-0, in Blacksburg.
What happened?
The first half started poorly for the Tar Heels, with the Hokies getting a strong offensive boost and outshooting North Carolina eight to two.
Finally, in what seemed like a break for the Tar Heels, senior Milo Garvanian was given a penalty kick opportunity at the 36th minute, but it was saved by Virginia Tech goalkeeper Ben Martino. Entering halftime, the Tar Heels were looking outmatched after a limited offensive performance, but were lucky to still be tied at zeros.
As the second half rolled around though, North Carolina was able to find its groove and completely turned the tide against the Hokies. Shortly after the break in the 52nd minute, graduate forward Santiago Herrera notched a goal off another penalty kick opportunity, putting the Tar Heels up 1-0.
As the second half continued, North Carolina was able to dominate both offensively and defensively, holding Virginia Tech to one shot for the duration of the 45 minutes.
In the 76th minute, the Tar Heels were able to boost the score to 2-0 with Garvanian able to find the back of the net on his second opportunity. He was able to score off of an assist from sophomore Yaya Bakayoko, who recorded his second straight game with an assist.
North Carolina was able to end the half outshooting the Hokies seven to one, marking nine shots total for both teams by the end of the match.
