University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Oregon State
Schuler, Tar Heels Roll Past Oregon State
September 2, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 2, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 2 North Carolina rolled past Oregon State Friday night as the Tar Heels found the back of the net five times in the second half for a 5-1 win over the visiting Beavers. Billy Schuler picked up his second and third goals of the season as UNC overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to secure the win.
The Tar Heels dominated possession in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net during the first 45 minutes as Oregon State used a goal in the 18th minute to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Billy Schuler almost gave the Tar Heels an early lead in just the fourth minute when Enzo Martinez fed a perfect through ball to the junior forward but Schuler's touch would go off the post and rebound to a Beaver defender who cleared it away.
Oregon State struck first as Chris Harms lofted a ball over the Carolina defense deep into the box that Khiry Shelton was able to run under. Shelton chipped the ball over a charging Scott Goodwin into the back corner of the goal for the 1-0 advantage.
Schuler would immediately test Steve Spangler, the OSU goalkeeper, with a shot but Spangler erased the threat to keep the Beavers in front. The Tar Heels strung together several passes the rest of the first half but were unable to mount much of a threat.
It was a different story in the second half as Carolina exited the locker room and turned its play up a notch as less than three minutes into the second half Rob Lovejoy found the back of the net.
Lovejoy danced around the defense and made his way to the top of the 18 and fired a shot past the keeper for the equalizer.
The sophomore forward attempted an ambitious effort after his first tally a minute later that sailed wide just before the Carolina attack struck again.
Ben Speas connected with Schuler on a breakaway in the 50th minute with a pass in the middle of the field that Schuler moved into the box and drove a shot past the keeper to put Carolina in front, 2-1.
The attack did not stop there as Speas, Kirk Urso and Enzo Martinez rattled off shots over a span of a minute and a half after Schuler's tally.
In the 57th minute Enzo Martinez found the ball at his feet 25 yards out and ran at the backline of the Beavers. Schuler showed for a quick second before cutting behind the defense to receive a perfect through ball from Martinez.
Schuler deposited the pass into the back of the net for the double advancing Carolina's lead to 3-1.
After a string of several near connections on corner kicks between Kirk Urso and Matt Hedges in the second half, Hedges was finally able to connect on a cross in the 69th minute.
Urso's corner just missed the head of Hedges and made its way to the opposite corner flag where Enzo Martinez was able to chase the ball down. Martinez stopped the ball and sent it right back into the box where Hedges headed it home for his first goal as a Tar Heel.
Freshman Mikey Lopez bumped the advantage to four goals (5-1) when he corralled a loose ball in the midfield and took on the defense before firing a shot from 23 yards out that found the back of the net for his first career goal.
The Tar Heels rattled off 26 shots on the night, putting nine on frame, while earning 10 corner kicks. The five second half goals were the most for the Tar Heels since the 2008 squad scored five against East Tennessee State on Sept. 27.
The win improves Carolina to 2-0 on the year as the Tar Heels now set their sights on No. 1 Louisville who UNC will host on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Fetzer Field.
