UNC men's soccer season ends in heartbreak in first round of NCAA tournament

Luke Hille fell to his knees.

He struck the pitch with several fisted blows. Sam Williams and Andrew Czech were the first to the senior forward. Several more Tar Heels joined, surrounding Hille as they picked him up and embraced the senior. 

Other players exchanged hugs as tears began to fall across Dorrance Field.

The North Carolina men’s soccer season ended in heartbreak after a loss to Furman in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday night. The Tar Heels fell to the Paladins, 5-3, in a penalty kick shootout after a scoreless 110 minutes couldn’t decide a winner. 

“[I feel] almost like a parent, like you just want to take the pain away, but you can’t,” head coach Carlos Somoano said. “You just have to learn how to deal with it and help them understand that they can.” 

After the final whistle blew, the unchecked emotion of Tar Heel players became a visible sight. Several seniors lingered behind for final views of Dorrance Field and to reflect on their careers. A fellow player would often come by their side to offer gratitude, encouragement or support as tears ensued. 

No players offered comments after the game, but it was clear that their sorrow transcended the result of a singular match. 

“They're going to look back on this as [an] incredibly proud moment,” Somoano said. Later adding, “When they come back for alumni weekend, they all say the same thing. 'Don't take it for granted.'” 

In the more than two weeks leading up to the match, Somoano thought the Tar Heels were the most focused they’ve been all season.  

Things that had plagued UNC’s concentration throughout the year, were no distraction against Furman. Lingering injuries, mistakes or disagreements with calls from the referee that would often get North Carolina off task, were ignored. 

This was due, in part, to a core of upperclassmen who led the fight against the Paladins. Out of UNC’s 11 starters, only one was an underclassman — first-year left-back Tate Johnson. 

The rest were battle-tested veterans, eight of whom played the entire 110 minutes of the match, including extra time. A decision Somoano made out of trust and respect from their tested experience. 

“I wanted it to be in their hands,” Somoano said. “This was their last season, and I wanted them to be the guys that were on the field.” 

And in the penalty shootout, that's exactly what Somoano did. Of UNC's four players that took a shot, three were either seniors or graduates — Williams was the lone junior. And when Hille sent his shot sailing over the crossbar on North Carolina's fourth shot, Furman put the game away on its fifth. 

Somoano had nothing to condemn or second guess about his team's performance after the loss. There wasn’t a single moment throughout regulation or in extra time that the team wished it had back. 

Instead, Somoano praised the fight North Carolina showed until the final PK was taken, going so far as to claim they “played their asses off”. Alas, it only took one miss from the penalty spot to shatter the belief in a NCAA tournament run for UNC. 

And even in the shadow of heartbreak, Somoano echoed his pride in how well his players handled defeat — doing so with what he described as character, discipline and respect. 

A belief Somoano holds so strongly that the 55-year-old is willing to physically defend any opposer. 

“Anybody who says differently, meet me in the parking lot.” 

@cadeshoemaker23

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com