University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Tar Heels Win Third Straight, Beating Hokies 3-2
October 18, 2008 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 18, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Tenth-ranked North Carolina had to overcome a furious Virginia Tech rally early in the second half but an own goal in the 56th minute proved to be the difference as the Tar Heels won their third straight men's soccer match Saturday night at Fetzer Field. UNC got first half goals from Garry Lewis and Brian Shriver to stake itself to a 2-0 lead before the Hokies rallied in the first five minutes of the second stanza to tie the score.
The winner came in the 56th minute when Jordan Graye's cross intended for Brian Shriver in the penalty area was redirected into the goal by a Virginia Tech defender. With the win, UNC improves to 11-2-1 on the season and the Heels go back above the .500 mark in the ACC at 3-2. Virginia Tech is now 5-8-1 overall and 0-6 in the league.
"The ACC is a tough place to play and you cannot underestimate a team. Even if their record doesn't indicate that they're having a great season, they will still always be a great contender and we saw that again today," said UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich.
"We had the game in hand and quickly, within five minutes, Virginia Tech tied it up and the momentum shifted. Fortunately we got the third goal in our favor to break the tie, but it was a hard-fought game and we never found our rhythm. We were just off today. We were slow. It's good that we have a week off now that we can regroup and work hard in our practices and hopefully have a better showing next time."
The Tar Heels outshot the Hokies 8-1 in the first half and dominated the run of play, leading to a 2-0 lead at intermission. Virginia Tech had the opening shot of the game as Tobias Hottner sent one over the bar just over eight minutes into play.
From then on, the Tar Heels had control of the opening 45 minutes, taking the next three shots, including a strike by freshman midfielder Kirk Urso that was saved by Tech goalie Thomas St. Germain in the 16th minute. Moments later, the Tar Heels earned a corner kick by Urso, which found senior midfielder Garry Lewis in the box. Lewis volleyed a shot from 12 yards out past St. Germain to put the Heels up 1-0. It was Lewis' third goal of the season.
The Tar Heels almost doubled their lead at 40:34 only to see senior midfielder Michael Callahan's shot bang off the cross bar and out of harm's way. Less than two minutes later, UNC did increase its lead to 2-0 on the 12th goal of the season by senior forward Brian Shriver. The UNC striker scored from about 10 yards out on a shot that was deflected in the box into the lower left corner of the netting.
After intermission, Virginia Tech was able to tie the match in less than five minutes of action on back-to-back unassisted goals by James Gilson. The first came at 46:48 as Gilson's shot from eight yards out on the left side found the lower right of the net for his fifth goal of the campaign. Less than three minutes later, the Hokies tied the score after a foul was whistled on the Tar Heels in the box. Gilson was true on his penalty kick at 49:04 and the game was tied at 2-2.
The Tar Heels caught a bit of good fortune in the 56th minute to retake the lead at 3-2. Carolina's junior defender Jordan Graye sent a cross into the box, looking for Shriver to run on to it. Instead, the ball deflected off Tech's Taylor Walsh and found its way over the goal line. It was an own goal for Carolina and the Tar Heels recaptured the lead in the process.
Tech created several dangerous situations in the final 20 minutes of the game and although they did not necessarily result in shots, the possessions tested the UNC defense. With just over 12 minutes remaining, Carolina senior defender Ryan Adeleye cleared a free ball out of danger from the four-yard line in the center of the box. At the two-minute mark, Tech again threatened, sending a potential 50-50 ball into the box, but Tar Heel goalkeeper Jacob Wescoe went high and snared the ball to thwart any threat. Tech also built up a nice passing sequence from the midfield in the final half minute of play, but Graye knocked down a centering pass with about 10 seconds left and cleared it out of danger as the final seconds ran off the clock.
The Tar Heels finished with a 12-5 edge in the shot column while Tech led in corner kick opportunities 3-2. St. Germain made four saves for the Hokies while Wescoe had one for the Heels.
The Tar Heels will have a full week off before playing at Clemson next Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field. Three of UNC's final four regular-season contests will come on the road.
