North Carolina punched the first ticket to the NCAA Men’s College Cup on Friday night, advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw against Southern Methodist University.
Tar Heels goalkeeper Scott Goodwin was the hero, saving a spot kick as UNC progressed to its third straight College Cup.
The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead in the fourth minute, thanks to Arthur Ivo. Robbie Derschang created space on the left wing and sent in a beautiful curling cross that Ivo had time to control and fire past Goodwin.
But the Tar Heels responded six minutes later. Enzo Martinez forced a turnover deep in the Mustangs’ half and found room to cross to Kirk Urso at the top of the box for the equalizer.
Things settled down after the 10th minute, as each side probe and prodded, looking to create room in their attacking half. Neither could break the deadlock, however, and the score was even at the half. UNC had the best chance, hitting the post from a corner kick.
The second half picked up where the first left off. North Carolina enjoyed the run of play through Michael Farfan and Alex Dixon up front, while SMU countered with Ivo and freshman Juan Castillo.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between the next 25 minutes, with Farfan’s long-distance blast – which was easily saved by 'keeper Craig Hill – as the most notable exception.
UNC outshot SMU 12-2 and controlling possession in the second half, but wasn’t able to finish. They came close during the final 10 minutes of play. In the 81st, Urso forced a save out of Hill from long range. Just moments later, freshman Robbie Lovejoy fired wide of Hill’s goal from a tight angle.
Later, Farfan was denied a penalty call after he appeared to get pushed down in the box. As time wound down, UNC had a shot deflected wide.
With the score even at 1-1 as the final whistle blew, both teams headed to overtime. The first chance in the extra frame fell to UNC once again. Lovejoy’s cross eluded Hill and the Mustangs defense, but Martinez whiffed with the goal wide open.
SMU’s Zach Barnes had a chance with less than three minutes left but fired wide. UNC then had a chance of its own off a corner, though was unable to get a clear shot on frame. The deadlock set the stage for Goodwin’s penalty-shootout heroics.
Things got off to a bad start for the Mustangs, as Josue Soto hit the bar. After Farfan made his, Payton Hickey got SMU on the board. Urso responded, before Goodwin guessed correctly, diving to the right to tip Leone Cruz’s shot wide.
After a pair of makes, senior Jalil Anibaba stepped up and buried his chance to cue pandemonium in the stands and send UNC to Santa Barbara, Calif., next weekend.
Ready to Launch: MLS Matchday 2010, The official MLS iPhone app. It's FREE! Download it here!
