UNC men's soccer draws in season opener against Loyola

In its season-opening 1-1 draw against Loyola (0-0-1, 0-0 A-10) , the UNC men's soccer team (0-0-1, 0-0 ACC) showed that its new-look offense has made improvements, but still has a way to go. 

For the North Carolina men’s soccer team to improve from last season’s NCAA First Round exit, it must improve its offense, which averaged the second fewest goals and third fewest shots per game in the ACC last season.

However, it was the defense which would be shocked early Thursday night, in front of the highest attendance ever recorded for a men’s soccer game at Dorrance Field.

Just over a minute into the game, Loyola defender Brandon Meminger crept into UNC’s box one-on-one with sophomore defender Charlie Harper. Meminger shifted the ball onto his left foot, evading Harper, and curled an shot into the far corner.

UNC couldn't immediately bounce back from the early setback, and the 15 minutes were controlled by Loyola. Whenever a Tar Heel received the ball out wide, Loyola pounced, disrupting UNC’s possession play. 

Loyola leaned on forward Jake Sweeney to find space behind the UNC defense to cause chaos and create shots.

North Carolina found more chemistry as the first half wore on, keeping the ball for longer periods. But the Tar Heels could not sync-up in the final third as the Greyhounds limited them to low-quality chances.

With over 19 minutes left, graduate forward Martin Vician entered the game. Vician’s aerial prowess and movement evaded Loyola’s defense and led to three shots for the transfer from Harvard — UNC’s best chances of the game.

After North Carolina's final preseason match against James Madison, head coach Carlos Somoano said the team has more technically adept attackers at his disposal compared to last year’s cast of physical attackers. Vician echoed this sentiment after Thursday’s game.

“We have a lot of creative players,” Vician said. “So for us offensively, it’s just making runs and running hard.”

Graduate defender Til Zinnhardt’s cross found the head of Vician for a header close to Loyola’s goal, which Vician missed wide of the post.

Near the end of the half, another ball from the wing found Vician with time and space in Loyola’s box. Vician’s volley was saved by goalkeeper Dylan van der Walt, but the parry fell into the feet of senior midfielder Ahmad Al-Qaq.

As Al-Qaq wound up for a shot, defender Jordy Luchies fouled him. Al-Qaq scored the resulting penalty, tying the game less than a minute before the halftime whistle.

UNC created a couple more chances through Vician early in the second half, but as the game wore on, the Tar Heels offense became stagnant, despite limiting Loyola to only one shot in the second half.

“Letting go of any hesitations is super hard at the beginning of the year because you’ve got to play within the team framework,” Somoano said. “But you gotta let go.”

The Tar Heels found their creative edge again within the last ten minutes of the second half to end the game with 20 shots — a higher amount than UNC managed in any game last season.

The rejuvenated offensive performance was not enough to break down the Greyhound defense, though, and multiple Tar Heels squatted and fell to the ground in disappointment at the final buzzer.

Vician said the majority of the offense had not played with each other in an official game before Thursday. With many newcomers to the team, building chemistry in a short time will be key to unlocking the Tar Heels’ creative potential.

“The connection between the forward and the midfield was a bit off,” senior midfielder Jameson Charles, who had only appeared in two career games before Thursday, said. “But I think if we keep going and keep getting the connection back and, I think, the little details we missed — if we get it back — I think we will have not only connection in the midfield, but as a team.”

QUICK HITS:

• UNC returns to Dorrance Field on Sunday to play American at 7:30 p.m.
• The  team showcased a more productive offensive unit, creating 20 shots throughout the game, despite only scoring on one attempt. 

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