University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: Chasing Excellence
December 8, 2017 | Men's Soccer, Featured Writers
CHESTER, PA. — David October and his teammates on the North Carolina men's soccer team walked through a tunnel on Thursday and entered Talen Energy Stadium, an open-air building on the banks of the Delaware River.
They walked down a short staircase and onto the pitch. They looked around, marveling at the blue sky above them and pristine grass beneath them. Some shivered as a cool wind came in gusts.
The building was adorn with College Cup and NCAA logos, the two largest appearing to the left and right of the video board facing the players. A UNC logo appeared on the screen, serving as a reminder, if yet another was needed, that the Tar Heels had reached the College Cup for the second straight season.
Just 363 days before, their season ended on this stage. Some players spoke during the preseason of the bitter taste they experienced after Stanford advanced past UNC in penalty kicks in the national semifinals in Houston.
And yet now that they've returned, they're seeking more than just redemption.
"It's not just because we lost last year that we want to win this year; it's that we want to win every year," October said. "When I leave next year, I want these guys to win next year and the next year. We enter each season with the same highest goals that we could possibly have. I think we chase excellence every year."
But entering this season, one of the most unique in program history, a couple of obstacles seemed to stand in the way of this team becoming the first to make consecutive College Cups since the 2008-2011 squads.
The Tar Heels, who face Indiana at 8:45 p.m. Friday in the national semifinals, lost four starting seniors off last season's team. Twenty-three letter winners returned, and they brought in the No. 2 recruiting class, according to College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer. Yet it remained to be seen how this group would mesh.
Also, with Fetzer Field under construction, UNC played its home games away from Chapel Hill for just the second time since the program began in 1947. They held those contests at four different venues, with WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary hosting the majority.
"I go into it thinking, 'Gosh, how the heck are we going to do this?'" Carlos Somoano said. "I feel sorry for myself for about five seconds. Then we just get on with it and start dealing with it and make the best out of it, and just realize how many people would be lucky to put on the light blue and represent us at WakeMed, Elon or on campus at Fetzer Field.
"Once you start forgetting about what you don't have and remembering what you do have, you move on."
Somoano's players embraced this mindset. Anchored by the nation's No. 2 scoring offense (2.52 goals per game) and a defense that steadily improved, they claimed their third straight ACC Coastal Division championship.
Then came wins over UNCW, SMU and Fordham in the NCAA Tournament. All three led the Tar Heels back to this, the same position they were in a year ago.
This time, however, it's more of a business trip.
"We were super excited to get there last year, and we were excited again this year," said Cam Lindley, who was a named a first-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches on Thursday. "But we know the banquet, we know this kind of (media) stuff and we know it's important to focus on the soccer, to focus on your job. That's why we're here.
"You're not going to remember everything else that went on here. You're going to remember if you win a national championship or not."
UNC knows what the latter feels like. But October said he and his teammates now have a better grasp of what's required to win games at this point in the season.
"Being in the moment, in a Final Four game, is hard to replicate," he said. "I think we got a taste of the inches, the minute differences, that it takes to win one of those games. I think everyone understands that extra inch in the first half or in the first minute even can make a difference for the rest of the game."
Lindley was among the players who spoke in the preseason about his frustrations with last season's finish. That, after all, played a large part in him coming back to Chapel Hill, as opposed to entering the professional ranks.
But Lindley didn't reach that decision until he attended his maternal uncle's wedding in January.
Lindley's uncle, Tyler McCarroll, played soccer at Indiana from 2007-11. Several of McCarroll's teammates were also at the wedding, including some who were on the Hoosiers' 2012 national championship team.
This week, Lindley said he's exchanged a few texts with McCarroll. And he's reflected on the wedding and the evident bond McCarroll's teammates had.
"They really love each other and wanted to be with each other all of the time," Lindley said. "And that's how I feel about these guys. I love being around them and want to continue to excel and be the best we can be. I think that's kind of how they thought.
"They reached their peak at the end. And that's what we're hoping we'll do here in the next two games."
