CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 13 University of North Carolina handed the Florida Gulf Coast University men's soccer team its first defeat in its last six matches as the Eagles dropped a 3-0 decision Tuesday at Dorrance Field.
The Eagles (3-3-4, 2-0-2 ASUN) are still unbeaten in ASUN action and currently second in the league behind Lipscomb.
Luis Lugo led the Eagles in shots with five, and junior goalkeeper
Wyatt Kistner made three saves.
"They were better in the first half and earned a well-deserved lead. I thought the second half we were better and scored a goal that wasn't allowed," head coach
Jesse Cormier said. "We have a lot of good to take from this game and can use our second-half performance as momentum going into Saturday at Lipscomb. We will be ready."
Overall, the Tar Heels (6-1-4, 1-1-3 ACC) led in shots with 16 while having six on goal. The Eagles stayed close with 11 shots and four on-target.
In the first half,
Lucas Windschauer wasted no time as he attempted to put the Eagles on the scoreboard at 2:17, but Andrew Cordes corralled his shot. North Carolina had two shots before connecting with the back of the net at 15:35. Quenzi Huerman took it himself and gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, the Green & Blue found itself in hot waters, and North Carolina capitalized off a penalty kick for a 2-0 advantage. For the remaining 15 minutes of the first half, Lugo fired off two shots but could not cut the two goal deficit, and the Eagles went into halftime goalless.
The Eagles' momentum was high in the second half as three different Eagles fired off a shot between the 52nd and 53rd minute. Lugo's header inside the six-yard box looked as though it crossed the line, but after video review the call on the field stood and no goal was given.
North Carolina stepped up its defense to keep FGCU off the scoreboard and put the game away at 80:52. Martin Vician took a pass from Charlie Harper and sent the ball in the right side of the net to seal the 3-0 victory.
The Eagles will return to ASUN action as they head to Lipscomb (5-2-3, 4-0 ASUN). The Bisons are first in the league and are the only team that has clinched a spot in the 2023 ASUN Tournament Championship thus far. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. EDT in Nashville, Tennessee and all the action will be on ESPN+.
