The UNC men's soccer team (9-5-4, 4-3-1 ACC) fell in a penalty shootout, 5-3, to Furman (10-3-5, 2-1-2 SoCon) on Thursday night at Dorrance Field in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Dropping three of its previous four games, North Carolina was looking to right the ship heading into the tournament. In a defensive clash, the Tar Heels were unable to find an offensive spark, leading to a scoreless match after overtime. In the penalty shootout, with the game on the line, Furman midfielder Diego Hernandez found the back of the net. This is Furman's first win in the NCAA tournament since 2018.
During regulation, the first shot of the game came in the 8th minute when Paladin forward Lloyd Wamu.
Snell weaved the ball between two Tar Heel defenders, but senior goalkeeper Quinn Closson got a hand on the ball, redirecting it out of bounds.
UNC’s offense stalled early in the first half, with its first shot coming in the 28th minute courtesy of first-year defender Tate Johnson.
A free kick from outside the box by Johnson gave the Tar Heels their first shot on goal of the game in the 36th minute.
North Carolina’s offensive pressure increased as the half went on though, with the team's best chance coming with less than ten seconds remaining in the half. Junior midfielder Sam Williams delivered a beautiful cross to graduate defender Riley Thomas, whose header was stonewalled by goalkeeper Aaron Salinas.
After being held shotless in the first 25 minutes, North Carolina outshot Furman 6-2 in the first half, including three shots on goal. Despite the shot advantage though, UNC was unable to find the back of the net.
North Carolina’s first chance of the second half came in the 55th minute on a header in front of the net by graduate forward Martin Vician, but an acrobatic dive by Salinas kept the game knotted at zero.
