No. 3 UNC advances past Duke, 1-0, in ACC tournament
No. 3 North Carolina used a goal from Danny Garcia in the 22nd minute to claim a 1-0 win over Duke in the ACC Quarterfinals Tuesday in Chapel Hill.
The talented freshman received a pass from fellow freshman Raby George and Garcia slotted a shot to the right of Duke goalkeeper James Belshaw to put Carolina in front in the 22nd minute.
Duke held possession along its backline and played a ball to the middle, five yards outside of the 18-yard box. George rushed onto and collected the ball before sending a quick pass to a cutting Garcia as he entered the box before putting Carolina in front, 1-0.
The 35th minute saw junior Andy Craven nearly add to his team lead in goals scored when he settled a pass from Rob Lovejoy on the right side of the box and fire a shot on goal that Belshaw was able to corral and keep the deficit just one entering halftime.
The teams traded possession throughout the second half of action as Carolina looked to add to its lead and the Blue Devils were in search of the equalizer.
A long throw into the box by Duke’s Riley Wolfe found the head of Sebastien Ibeagha in the 66th minute but the stout Carolina defense was in position to deflect the ball out and break a counter attack.
The run ended with a cross into the box that found Craven 10 yards from goal. The junior forward spun on the ball and hit a side volley shot that tested Belshaw but the goalkeeper was able to dive to his left and get a hand on the ball to force a corner kick.
The best chance of the night for the Blue Devils came in the 75th minute with another long throw attempt. Wolfe sent in a throw that was cleared back to him who dribbled into the box and found Ryan Thompson a step inside the top of the box. Thompson fired a shot inches wide of the right post.
The Tar Heels would see three more shots from the Blue Devils over the final 15 minutes, none of which challenged goalkeeper Scott Goodwin or the Tar Heel defense.
Goodwin registered his 38th career shutout and 14th of the year in the win as he ran UNC’s shutout streak to 360 minutes.
Carolina has won four straight matches and will face Virginia in the ACC Semifinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Germantown, Md. The Cavaliers advanced to the semifinals after a 5-3 penalty shootout win after battling Wake Forest to a 2-2 draw. The other semifinal includes No. 1 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Clemson.
Friday’s match can be seen live on ESPN3.
