Men's Soccer Shuts Out Georgia Southern, 3-0

Friday, September 3

Chapel Hill

7 PM

North Carolina

2-0-1, 0-0-0

Georgia Southern

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Ga. Southern

North Carolina

Tega Ikoba, Ernest Bawa and Riley Thomas celebrate.

Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications

September 3, 2021 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats (.pdf)Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL—The fifth-ranked University of North Carolina men's soccer team got a goal and an assist off the bench from both Ernest Bawa and Cameron Fisher and beat Georgia Southern, 3-0, on Friday night at Dorrance Field. With the victory, the Tar Heels improved to 2-0-1 this season.

Carolina, ranked No. 5 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 6 by the United Soccer Coaches in this week's national polls, also got an assist from freshman Ken Bellini and a goal from graduate transfer Gerit Wintermeyer.

Bawa came off the bench and scored his team-leading third goal in the third game of the season. He leads the team with seven points. Fisher is second with six points on two goals and two assists this Fall.

Bawa scored his third goal of the season with 2:41 remaining in the first half on a free kick. After an Eagle defender took down Jonathan Jimenez and was whistled for a foul, Bawa took the ensuing try from just outside the 18-yard box and curved it into the upper left corner of the net. Carolina out-shot the Eagles, 6-1, in the first half.

"With this team, I really don't think it matters if you start or you don't start," Bawa said afterward. "Coming off the bench, the reason why Coach is putting you in the game is to help bring the energy up. One of the things he tells us is, 'Lift us up, bring the energy up,' so you have a big responsibility coming off the bench."

After taking a 1-0 lead into the break at halftime, UNC made it 2-0 with 15:21 remaining in the second half. Bellini crossed the ball from the left side of the box to the right, where Fisher fed Wintermeyer for a goal from point-blank range.

Fisher, another substitute on Friday but one with starting experience earlier this season, scored off an assist from Bawa at the 85:19 mark to ice it at 3-0.

UNC out-shot the Eagles, 21-1, including 15-0 in the second half. In three games this season, Carolina has out-shot its opponents by a margin of 95-7.

Corner kicks were 11-1 in favor of the Tar Heels on Friday.

Alec Smir went the distance in goal for UNC, posting his second shutout of the season.

The Tar Heels will return to the field on Monday night at Davidson in their first road game of the Fall campaign.

Gallery: (9-3-2021) Men's Soccer Blanks Georgia Southern