University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Hunter, No. 4 Carolina Advance To ACC Championship Match
November 11, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 11, 2005
CARY, N.C. - Junior forward Ben Hunter scored his second and third goals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, and No. 4 North Carolina's stout defense logged a school record-tying sixth straight shutout in a 2-0 win over No. 16 Clemson Friday in conference semifinal action at SAS Soccer Park. The Tar Heels (15-3-2) earned their fourth appearance in the league title game and will take on Duke at 1 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Net South.
Hunter, who has scored five of his nine goals in three games at SAS this season, found the back of the net in the 55th and 73rd minutes to send the Tar Heels to their first conference title match since 2000. Duke defeated No. 1-ranked Maryland, 4-2, in Friday's first semifinal. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils, who played to a scoreless tie earlier this season, have never played for the ACC crown.
Hunter put the Tar Heels on the board at 54:37 when he rocketed a Corey Ashe cross into the upper left-hand corner of the net. Ashe got the play started by charging at Clemson keeper Phil Marfuggi, who punched the ball away at the top of the box but allowed it to go over his head. Ashe tracked it down in the left corner and sent a cross to Hunter at the far post. Marfuggi found his way back to the goal line but could not stop Hunter's 12-yard blast.
Hunter added his second goal at 72:22 when he picked up the rebound of a Scott Campbell shot and deposited it in the lower right-hand side of the net for the 2-0 final margin. Hunter has all five goals scored by the Tar Heels at SAS this season and is now second on the team with 23 points on nine goals and five assists. The Doncaster, England, native now has four goals in his last three games.
He nearly added a third goal when he sent a bicycle kick off the left post in the 76th minute.
Carolina keeper Justin Hughes made two saves to post his sixth shutout of the season in eight starts. The Tar Heels have not allowed a goal since the 3-2 win over William & Mary Oct. 18, a span of six games, which ties a school record set in 1992. The Tar Heels have 13 shutouts this season.
Marfuggi made two saves for Clemson (11-5-3), which saw an eight-match unbeaten streak snapped. Carolina held an 11-8 edge in shots and an 8-3 lead after intermission.
Possession was fairly even in the opening half, but Clemson managed five shots to Carolina's three. Hughes made two saves for the Tar Heels, who posted their 12th consecutive scoreless half.
The Tar Heels, league champs in 1987 and 2000, will be in search of their third ACC crown Sunday. Carolina and Duke have met three times in conference tourney play, with the Blue Devils holding a 2-1 edge. Sunday's title game marks the first time that the No. 5 and No. 6 seed have reached the finals. No seeded lower than No. 4 has ever won the league title.
