University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Fairleigh Dickinson
Men's Soccer Advances To Second College Cup In Program History
December 8, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 8, 2001
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ryan Kneipper scored two goals in under five minutes in the second half and North Carolina scored on an own goal in the third overtime as the UNC men's soccer team came from behind to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, in three overtimes in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals at Fetzer Field.
On the game's final play, FDU defender Brian Romero headed a cross by UNC's Noz Yamauchi, deflecting the ball into the net to give Carolina the sudden victory in the sixth minute of the third overtime.
With the win, Carolina advances to the 2001 NCAA Men's College Cup next weekend in Columbus, Ohio. UNC will face Stanford on Friday evening. The Cardinal defeated Saint Louis on Friday night to advance to the national semifinals. The game with Stanford marks Carolina's second appearance ever in the national semifinals, joining the 1987 Final Four appearance.
The Tar Heels outshot FDU by a 43-6 margin, dominating possession of the ball. The 43 shots are a UNC record for an NCAA Tournament game, eclipsing the previous record of 27 set against Towson in the NCAA second round this year. Carolina nearly had the game won in regulation before the Knights tied the score with 31 seconds to play on a penalty kick after a UNC handball in the box.
Fairleigh Dickinson opened the scoring in the 20th minute. UNC defender Danny Jackson tried to clear the ball, but the Knights' Aaron Paye deflected the attempted clear into the goal past Carolina keeper Michael Ueltschey for a 1-0 lead. The goal was the first the Tar Heels had given up in three NCAA Tournament games.
The Tar Heels picked up the intensity in the second half, maintaining possession in the FDU half of the field for almost the entire 45 minutes after halftime. The Knights, with their 1-0 lead, packed as many defenders in front of the goal as possible to try to thwart the UNC rally.
Finally, with less than 20 minutes left to play, the Tar Heels broke through. Kneipper scored his 12th goal of the season at the 72:19 mark, heading in a long pass from Ray Fumo to tie the score at 1-1 with under 20 minutes to play. Kneipper scored again, his team-leading 13th goal of the season, less than five minutes later. Kneipper again scored on a header off a long cross, this time on a pass from Mike Gell.
FDU tied the game and forced overtime with just 31 seconds to play. Paye was battling UNC defender David Stokes in the Carolina box when Stokes slipped and fell to the ground. As he fell, Stokes' arm landed on the ball, resulting in a penalty kick. Dirceu Hurtado got the ball by Ueltschey to tie the score and force the extra periods.
Grant Porter, who strained a groin in last Sunday's win over American, did not play against FDU.
Scoring:
1. FDU - Aaron Paye, 19:27
2. UNC - Ryan Kneipper (Fumo), 72:19
3. UNC - Kneipper (Gell), 76:43
4. FDU - Dirceu Hurtado, 89:29
5. UNC - own goal, 125:45
Goalie Stats: Vytautas Lenkutis (FDU) 13 saves, 3 goals allowed, Michael Ueltschey (UNC) 1 save, 2 goals allowed
Shots: FDU 6, UNC 43
Attendance: 1205
