CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Diego Hernandez scored a crucial penalty kick in the fifth round, leading the Furman men’s soccer team to a hard-fought victory over 21st-ranked North Carolina, with a final score of 5-3, after a scoreless draw in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This exciting match took place at Dorrance Field on Thursday night.
The Paladins finished the match with a record of 9 wins, 3 losses, and 6 draws, and they will move on to face No. 13 seed Marshall in the second round. This match is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, in Huntington, W.Va. North Carolina ends their season with a record of 9 wins, 4 losses, and 5 draws.
Head coach Doug Allison expressed his pride in the team’s effort, saying, “I’m so proud of this team and their resilience tonight. We had five great penalty kicks and were able to get another shutout. We also want to thank our Furman alumni, parents, and fans who made the trip tonight. It was great to see so much purple!”
After a tense 110 minutes without any goals, both teams converted their first three penalty kicks. Slade Starnes gave Furman a 4-3 lead in the fourth round when he successfully scored. However, North Carolina’s Luke Hille missed his chance, sending his shot high over the goal. Hernandez then stepped up and sealed the win for the Paladins.
The goalkeeper for Furman, sophomore Aaron Salinas, who was named the Southern Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, made four saves and recorded another shutout. Andrew Cordes, the Tar Heels’ goalkeeper, also had four stops during the match.
North Carolina finished with a slight edge in total shots at 10-9, with both teams registering four shots on target and three corner kicks each.
The game saw limited scoring opportunities in the first half, with Furman’s Lloyd Wamu Snell being the only player to record a shot on goal in the opening 35 minutes. North Carolina ramped up their pressure in the final moments of the first half, forcing Salinas to make three critical saves, including a crucial stop against Riley Thomas just before halftime.
In the second half, Martin Vician had a nearly perfect opportunity for UNC, but Salinas heroically dove to push his header wide. Five minutes later, Malachi Grant’s cross almost connected with Christian Kraus, but it was too far away. Wesley Siegel then had a chance but shot over the goal.
Furman’s best shot came in the 85th minute when Kraus made a strong attempt that was blocked at the near post. Neither team was able to find the net during the two extra periods. Interestingly, this victory for the Paladins falls exactly 25 years after they defeated North Carolina 2-1 in overtime during the 1999 NCAA Tournament’s first round at Stone Stadium.
