SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s soccer team battled No. 7 North Carolina to a 1-1 draw in front of a sold-out Alumni Stadium crowd on Friday evening.
The draw moves Notre Dame’s record to 5-3-4 on the season and 2-2-1 in ACC play.
Matthew Roou moved into the lead for most goals in the country at the men’s DI level, scoring his 12th goal of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Tar Heels played a scoreless opening 45 minutes of soccer, as both teams limited each other’s scoring chances in the first half of action.
The match sprang to life in the second half, as the Irish started controlling play out of the halftime break.
Jack Flanagan nearly put the Irish in front in the 56th minute, as a great through ball from Bryce Boneau sent Flanagan into space down the right flank but his low shot was saved by the diving UNC keeper.
Just five minutes later the Irish were knocking on the door again. Roou turned at the edge of the area and slipped KK Baffour into space in the box. The junior curled a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net just inside the far post but the Tar Heel goalie made an acrobatic one-handed diving stop to keep the match scoreless.
All the pressure paid off in the 66th minute, as Roou put the Irish in front with a moment of brilliance. After a North Carolina headed clearance was sent out of the box, Wyatt Lewis nodded it back into the area. Roou was the first to react and was able to chip the ball while sliding over the Carolina keeper to complete the incredible finish and put Notre Dame on top 1-0.
The visitors started sending numbers forward, searching for the equalizer but the Irish defense remained firm over the next 15 minutes of play. However, in the 84th minute the Tar Heels managed to tie the contest off a strike from distance courtesy of Matthew Acosta to level the score at 1-1.
Neither side was able to find the winner over the final six minutes of play, as the teams shared the points.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the match…
“I’m pleased with the performance. UNC is clearly a top team and we knew that coming into the match. Our guys did a good job of handling their attacking weapons and you are never going to create a ton of great chances against them but I think we created a few good looks so overall I’m proud of the performance.”
On the play of Matthew Roou this season…
“He’s always switched on and he scores in a variety of different ways. He could have had a few more over the course of the season so I love that his mentality is just to keep going. He was switched on and he made a great play tonight.”
On the sellout crowd…
“The crowd was amazing. It gives us such a boost to play in front of so many Irish fans and it was hopefully an exciting game for them.”
UP NEXT
The Irish are back in action next week with an ACC matchup against Boston College at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 19. Admission to the match is free and the match will be streamed on ACCNX.
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