HOOVER, Ala. -- Ben Speas scored on a 25-yard shot with 26 minutes remaining, giving North Carolina a 1-0 victory against Charlotte and the NCAA men's soccer championship at Regions Park.
Speas' shot gave the top-seeded Tar Heels (21-2-3) their second championship. The unseeded 49ers end at 16-5-4.
Charlotte had much of the game's play and outshot the Tar Heels 19-10. Many of those shots came in the last 10 minutes as the 49ers desperately tried for the equalizer. Charlotte hit the cross bar once and defender Thomas Allen also had a header cleared off the line by North Carolina's Jordan Gafa.
There was one moment of controversy in the game, when Charlotte's Donnie Smith was knocked down in the penalty box by North Carolina's Kirk Urso in the 47th minute. Referee Michael Kennedy didn't call a foul, however, on what would have been a penalty kick.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tar Heels down 49ers for title
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8 comments:
Great game Niners, it was a fun game to watch, you gave your all and I am very proud of the way you played! Great showing by Niner Nation, Go NINERS!!
Charlotte deserved to have the PK.
"There was one moment of controversy in the game, when Charlotte's Donnie Smith was knocked down in the penalty box by North Carolina's Kirk Urso in the 47th minute. Referee Michael Kennedy didn't call a foul, however, on what would have been a penalty kick. "
Understatement might be one of your strengths David. This was a poorly officiated game. I don't know if the outcome would have been different, but it would have been nice to have a crew working that was more interested in their jobs then getting on an airplane to get home.
The refs allowed rough play all match long. The Heels had a similar opportunity squashed by a potential foul near the end of the first half. That being said, congratulations to Charlotte and Chapel Hill for two terrific seasons.
Same old story for UNC. Poor coaching concealed by great individual play. Kid makes a perfect shot through 4 defenders and the goalkeep. Congratulations to him and the Tar Heels. I'd love to see a replay on the non call in the box, but; honestly, I'd be shocked to see a penalty kick in a national championship game.
The story title should have been "UNC wins Again Because of Controversial Calls". I'm a little surprised the article did not go into more detail about the terrible no-call and I am surprised no mention was made of Niner fans outnumbering UNC-Chapel Hill fans by about 8-1. Wait, That would take away some of the "prestige" the Observer tries so hard to give to a sister school of Charlotte. I have no doubt it would have been emphasized if more Heel fans had been there.
Exciting game for the 49ers. Wish the outcome was different but the niners have nothing to be ashamed of. It was a great run.
I just watched the game on replay. Charlotte was the better team, more fit, much more aggressive. Carolina had 2 shots in the 2nd half and scored a memorable, long goal.
Sadly the official was bad for both teams. Donnie was knocked down in the box.
Just a poor game by the referee. At least everyone else showed up. Classic game.
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