University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke
Winn Scores The Difference In Carolina Victory
September 27, 2015 | Men's Soccer
"I'm just so proud to be associated with the University of North Carolina,” said head coach Carlos Somoano. "The amount of people at this university - the administration, staff and fans - that made this game happen tonight and pulled all this together is amazing, and I'm so proud to be a part of it.”
A match that was scheduled for Friday night was pushed back 24 hours due to the rain that hit the area over the last 48 hours. The decision to play Saturday night wasn't made until just before 12 p.m. Throw in a home football game, and it was a total team effort to make this match a reality. Despite a constant rain, and heavy at times, the crowd of over 2,000 certainly made it feel comfortable for the Tar Heels playing in less than perfect conditions.
Carolina (7-0-1, 3-0-0 ACC) was the first to strike in only the fourth minute of play. Colton Storm adeptly controlled the ball just inside the right side and found Zach Wright near the box. A one-touch pass from Wright to Alex Olofson gave the senior his second career goal and first since his freshman year, putting the Tar Heels up 1-0.
Duke (4-3-1, 0-2-1 ACC) earned several chances in the first half, including a pair of shots in the box, one saved by goalie James Pyle and the other sailing left of the net. In the 31st minute, the Blue Devils took the first corner of the game but had nothing to show for the effort.
Tucker Hume had a clear look at the net in the 38th minute, but a block from the Duke defenders forced two corners from the Tar Heels. One of the shots found its way into the net, but not before a foul on Carolina negated the score.
The Tar Heels doubled their lead in the 49th minute with Alan Winn's third goal of the season. A long pass up the right side found the foot of Wright, who crossed to Winn to make it 2-0. Wright leads the club with four assists in 2015.
Duke's Zach Mathers took a blast off the right post from a long distance that ricocheted into the net to halve the Tar Heel lead 2-1 in the 59th minute.
Raby George took a rip on a free kick in the 77th minute that shook the back of the net, but since it was taken before the whistle, the goal was erased. On the redo, George's shot was saved by goalie Wilson Fisher to keep it 2-1 Carolina.
The 2-1 score marked the 17th-straight match between the two rivals that has been decided by one goal or less since 2001. Carolina improves to 5-0-3 in the last eight meetings with the Blue Devils at Fetzer Field.
The Tar Heels travel to Pittsburgh to take on Pitt Friday at 7:00 pm.
