No. 7 UNC men's soccer draws, 1-1, with Notre Dame

The No. 7 North Carolina men’s soccer team (7-1-4, 3-1-1 ACC) tied Notre Dame (5-2-3, 3-2-1 ACC), 1-1, on Friday evening at Alumni Stadium.

A goalkeeper battle and defensive slugfest characterized the first period. The Tar Heels couldn’t string together a consistent line of passes to move the ball, and no amount of offensive momentum could spark a clear shot attempt. Any UNC offensive drives came face-to-face with an aggressive Irish defense that prompted off-target shot attempts. 

Both teams dialed up the defensive pressure in their back lines in the first period. No plays broke through from midfield for the first five minutes of the game. 

Redshirt junior Andrew Cordes established a strong presence between the posts in the first period. He was attentive to any and all Notre Dame shots. Senior graduate defender Riley Thomas led North Carolina’s defensive guard against Irish advances past midfield.

In the seventh minute, Notre Dame star forward Matthew Roou launched a shot across the middle, but it was quickly snatched away by Cordes.

North Carolina saw its first opportunity to find the back of the net in the 14th minute, but it was blocked by a wall of Irish defenders, led by Notre Dame senior defender Josh Ramsey.

A quick defensive lapse by the Tar Heels led to a brief opportunity for Roou in the 23rd minute, but the forward was unable to convert.

Senior midfielder Matthew Acosta was awarded his first yellow card of the season for unsporting off of a slide tackle halfway through the period, awarding Notre Dame a goal kick, which sailed far beyond the left crossbar to keep the score 0-0.

UNC finally infiltrated the Irish defense in the 33rd minute. A shifty left-to-right move from graduate forward Martin Vician crept close to finding an open window, but was quickly wrapped up by Notre Dame first-year goalkeeper Blake Kelly.

On the ensuing possession, a Notre Dame corner kick in the 33rd minute led to a shot attempt by Irish first-year forward Stevie Dunphy, which was quickly rejected by North Carolina’s defensive unit and later, Cordes.

Vician was unable to convert in the first period off of one shot and one shot on goal stifled by the formidable Irish defense. 

Junior midfielder Sam Williams attempted to cut through the Notre Dame defense with a powerful shot, immediately deflected by the Fighting Irish's first-year midfielder Ian Shaul.

A series of pushes by both teams to end the half resulted in a few close calls, but no points for either side. Any offensive momentum on either side was immediately silenced, leading to all zeros across the scoreboard at the break.

An opportunity flashed by for the Irish immediately into the second period, but Cordes continued to prove his dominance by snatching it away.

In the 50th minute, North Carolina’s first viable opportunity of the second half saw Luke Hille’s straight-on shot soar high over the crossbar.

Another close call across the middle by Notre Dame sophomore forward Jack Flanagan almost saw the first goal of the game, but it was deflected by a diving Cordes.

Cutting across the middle, senior midfielder Juan Caffaro saw an open look and took a chance to no avail. A potential handball was rejected by the referees on the play, giving the Irish a bit of momentum.

Notre Dame junior midfielder KK Baffour launched a close shot attempt towards the right crossbar, but the outstretched fingertips of Cordes rejected the advance at the 60-minute mark.

The defensive back-and-forth was disrupted by an Irish break-through on the next possession. A sliding Matthew Roou flicked a crossing assist from sophomore midfielder Wyatt Lewis high, sneaking past the left of Cordes and finding a pocket in the bottom right of the net. The Irish led, 1-0, with about 25 minutes remaining.

UNC could not convert off of a series of corner kicks, unable to find its offensive groove against a staunch Notre Dame defensive back line.

Frustration set in as first-year defender Tate Johnson received the second yellow card for the Tar Heels for a tug of the jersey, looking to prevent a Notre Dame attack.

Despite the dwindling minutes and growing frustration, the Tar Heels finally responded thanks to senior midfielder Matthew Acosta’s first goal of the season. Acosta’s right cross was the equalizer, 1-1. 

Neither team was able to convert off of a flurry of goal kicks in the final minutes, ending the match in a 1-1 draw.

The Tar Heels head back out on the road to Williamsburg, Virginia on Tuesday at 6 p.m to take on William and Mary.

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