Heels Fall to James Madison, 2-1

Sunday, November 18

Cary, N.C. (WakeMed)

6 p.m.

North Carolina

James Madison University

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 18, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Season Stats Box Score Play By Play

By: Joe Wedra

CHAPEL HILL – No. 5 North Carolina lost its NCAA Championship second-round matchup against James Madison, 2-1, as the Heels finished the 2018 season 14-4-1. Gio Montesdeoca scored the lone goal for the Heels, but for the first time during the 2018 campaign, North Carolina conceded more than one goal in a game as James Madison scored the game-winner in the 68th minute.

Both teams traded shots through the first 20 minutes with James Madison taking the first two shots on goal, but James Pyle was able to keep the Dukes off the board early. In the 27^th minute however, JMU found a way to get on the board first.

Off of a rebound, junior midfielder Manuel Ferriol was able to hit a beautiful strike to the left upper 90. There was nothing Pyle could do against the perfect ball, Ferriol's ninth of the season, to give James Madison a 1-0 lead.

Just five minutes later, the Tar Heels were able to re-gain possession and pressure on the other side to force a game-tying opportunity. With the ball in front of the net, Nils Bruening was able to feed a header to Montesdeoca for a close-range shot. The sophomore didn't miss his chance, finding the back of the net for his team-leading eighth goal of the year to tie the game at one.

The second half started with back-and-forth action, but James Madison was able to break the tie with a crucial goal in the 68^th minute. With a bit of traffic in front of the net, JMU's Aaron Ward-Baptiste snuck a ball past a defender and under a diving James Pyle. It found the back of the net and the Dukes were able to take hold of a 2-1 lead.

The Tar Heels had a lot of opportunities with possession in James Madison's territory late in the game, but the visitors were able to consistently clear crosses into the box. The closest Carolina came to tying the game came in the final five minutes, when Jack Skahan took a couple of free kicks and a corner. But, the James Madison defense was able to close out the night.

Even after the Dukes were dealt a red card with 1:33 to play, they eliminated threats and capitalized on Ward-Baptiste's 68^th-minute goal to pull off the 2-1 upset in Cary.

The loss marks the first time that North Carolina surrendered more than one goal in a game this year, and the first time the team scored in a game and lost.