North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
ACC Tournament (UNC)
Men's Soccer Advances in ACC Tournament
11/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 12, 2003
Cary, N.C. - After playing 110 scoreless minutes of soccer, the NC State men's soccer team advanced on penalty kicks over No. 8 North Carolina, and in the process advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament being held at SAS Soccer Stadium this weekend. The Wolfpack (9-7-2) and the Tar Heels (12-3-4) put on quite a show for the capacity crowd, but it was NC State with a 4-3 advantage on penalty kicks that would enable the Pack to advance in the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1992. NC State advances to Friday's semifinal round, and will take on the tournament's top seed, No. 2 Maryland at 5:30 p.m.
NC State was up first on the penalty kicks, with sophomore Aaron King, but King's shot hit off the right post. ACC Freshman of the Year Jamie Watson then gave the Tar Heels the early advantage making it 1-0 after the first round. Senior Chris Gannon then recorded the first PK for NC State, but his was answered by UNC's Andrew Rhea as the count was 2-1 UNC after two rounds.
State's only other senior Hiroki Kawase then made it back-to-back goals for the Wolfpack. UNC's Michael Harrington was up next, but NC State's Jorge Gonzalez made a diving save that was headed for the lower right corner of the goal. After three rounds, it was tied at 2-2. Both teams would score in the fourth round, junior Justin Branch for NC State and Marcus Storey for UNC, to set up the all-exciting fifth round.
Sophomore Bryant Salter was up next for NC State, and after suffering from cramps late in the game, was able to record the goal with his right-footed shot. It was all up to UNC's Ray Fumo, but for the second time in the shootout, Gonzalez came up big in the goal. Gonzalez guessed right on Fumo's shot, a hard shot to the upper right corner, and gave the Wolfpack the 4-3 advantage.
The contest was close throughout before the shootout, with both teams recording great scoring chances in the overtime periods. UNC's David Boole was all alone in the NCSU penalty box, but Gonzalez made a great one-handed save to just push the ball over the cross bar. Just minutes later, King dribbled through the UNC defense and put a hard shot on net in the 108th minute.
North Carolina finished with 15 shots compared to NC State's 10, but the two teams both managed five shots in the two 10-minute overtime periods. Gonzalez recorded his seventh shutout of the season for the Wolfpack by making seven saves, while UNC's Justin Hughes finished with six.
Officially recorded as a tie, the contest was the second time this season NCSU and UNC battled to a tie. Third-ranked North Carolina came to Method Road in October, and the two squads tied 1-1. The shootout was also NC State's first since the 1992 season, and the first shootout win in the ACC Tournament since 1990, the same year NC State won its lone ACC title.
NC State advances in the ACC Tournament and faces No. 1 seed Maryland, ranked No. 2 nationally. The semifinal game will be the first of the day, Friday at 5:30 p.m. at SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary, N.C. In the match-up between the two teams earlier this season, Maryland used a penalty kick in the 35th minute to defeating the visiting Wolfpack 1-0.
UNC 0 0 0 0 -- 0 NC State 0 0 0 0 -- 0*NC State wins on PKs, 4-3 - Pks for NCSU: Gannon, Kawase, Branch, Salter - Pks for UNC: Watson, Rhea, Storey
Shots: UNC 15, NCSU 10 Saves: UNC 6 (Hughes 6), NCSU 7 (Gonzalez 7) Corner Kicks: UNC 12, NCSU 3 Fouls: UNC 21, NCSU 17 Records: UNC 12-3-4, NCSU 9-7-2
