University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Creighton
Creighton Edges UNC In NCAA Third Round Game
November 29, 2015 | Men's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Ninth-ranked Creighton capitalized on a deflected clearing pass in the 38th minute of the game to score the goal it needed to defeat fourth-ranked North Carolina 1-0 Saturday night at Fetzer Field in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament third round. A crowd of 1,432 viewed the game under the Fetzer lights as the Bluejays improved to 19-3 on the season and will now move on to the NCAA quarterfinals against either Akron or SMU.
North Carolina saw its season end with only its second loss of the campaign. Carolina's final record for 2015 is 15-2-3.
The Tar Heels had a territorial advantage for much of the game but could not get a shot past Creighton goalkeeper Connor Sparrow. It was only the third time in 20 games this season the Tar Heels had been shutout.
UNC outshot Creighton 7-1 in the first half and had a 4-0 edge in corner kicks. But the only shot on frame was one by the Blue Jays at the 37:45 mark. It resulted in Timo Pitter's 10th goal of the season and it held up as the game-winner for the Blue Jays despite constant second half pressure by Carolina. UNC's Jonathan Campbell went to clear the ball out of the UNC penalty box but inadvertently hit teammate Raby George in the back. The ball fell directly to the foot of Pitter at the top of the 18-yard box. Campbell got a toe on the shot and it was just enough to cause a change of direction on the ball for UNC goalkeeper Sam Euler. Euler went to his left initially but the ball ended up with enough spin on it, short hopping the Tar Heel goalkeeper and redirecting into the right side of the net.
In the first eight minutes of the second half, the Bluejays had the momentum. In fact, they took all six of their second half shots in a span from the 47-minute mark to the just past the 53rd minute mark. At 53:05, the nation's leading scorer, Creighton's Fabian Herbers had an excellent chance from 20 yards out to put the Bluejays up 2-0 after taking a pass from Noah Franke but Euler dove to his right for a leaping save.
Carolina's defense buckled down and did not allow the Bluejays to take a shot in the final 36:55 of the match. UNC would end up taking the final 12 shots of the match. But finding the frame proved elusive for the Tar Heel side as only four of their 21 shots on the night were on target and just two of the final 12 attempts. Carolina forced three second-half saves by Sparrow, all on shots by Alan Winn – in the 49th minute, the 67th minute and the 80th minute.
It was a shot from distance from the left side by Winn at 79:09 which appeared it would tie the game but Sparrow timed his jump perfectly and knocked the ball over the end line for a corner kick. UNC had one more good chance in it as a shot in the 85th minute by Alex Olofson from 10 yards out was blocked over the byline by the Creighton defense, again creating a corner kick chance. UNC ended with an 11-1 edge in corner kicks, including a 7-1 edge in the second half.
Five Tar Heel seniors were in the starting lineup for Saturday's game – defender Jonathan Campbell, defender Jordan McCrary, goalkeeper Sam Euler, midfielder Alex Olafson and midfielder Raby George.
