SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Irish suffered a hard-fought 1-0 defeat to North Carolina at Alumni Stadium on Saturday evening to move to 3-3-1 on the season.
Notre Dame managed to outshoot the Tar Heels 10-6 in the contest but were unable to find the game-tying goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening stages of the match featured a majority of play in the midfield, with neither side creating clear scoring opportunities.
North Carolina scored the opening goal in the 30th minute when the referee awarded a penalty for what was deemed a foul in the box and the visitors converted from the spot to take a 1-0 lead into the half.
Notre Dame controlled play in the final 45 minutes, generating chances but unable to capitalize.
Paddy Burns forced saves on attempts in the 59th and 63rd minutes but the Tar Heels defense stood tall.
Wyatt Borso nearly scored the equalizer in 89th minute, as he looped a left-footed effort over the keeper and off the woodwork. Daniel Russo’s follow-up shot on the rebound went over the bar to keep the Tar Heel lead intact.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the performance…
“I’m really proud of the group. We know North Carolina is a very good team and we arguably had our best performance of the year. We were a little unlucky on their goal but I love the response of the group and on another night we might get one or two of those chances to go in during the second half. Overall, I’m really proud of the response of the group, the performance of all but one key moment.”
On the defensive response after the penalty decision…
“The response was huge because that is a moment in the game where there is a lot of intensity in an ACC match and that’s an easy one where guys can lose it for a little bit but they didn’t. I give them credit, they stuck together, kept performing and grew into the game. We were even better in the second half.”
On creating chances in the second half…
“The balance in the attack, the aggression and confidence, was great. The fullbacks got into the attack more. Their keeper made a good save and they cleared one off the line so it’s good to hit the target but at the end of the day you always want to be better.”
UP NEXT
The Irish continue their homestand with a midweek match against Kalamazoo at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Alumni Stadium. The match will be streamed on ACCNX via WatchESPN.
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