Louisville beats UNC in ACC men’s soccer championship game
Cherif Dieye celebrated his 21st birthday in style Sunday.
The junior midfielder from Senegal scored the game’s only goal in the first half to lift fourth-seeded Louisville to a 1-0 victory over second-seeded North Carolina in the ACC men’s soccer championship game.
A crowd of 1,402 in Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park saw the Cardinals (11-4-3), ranked 10th nationally, earn their first ACC soccer title in their second championship game appearance. Louisville dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker in overtime to Clemson in 2014 on this same field when the Tigers scored the tying goal with three seconds left in regulation.
“I was just so happy to see the zeroes show up on the clock,” said Louisville coach Ken Lolla, an All-American midfielder at Duke during the early 1980s. “The last time we were here, we probably should have won it but didn’t handle the last few minutes of it, the last few seconds of it, very well. This has a grown into a mature team. They did what they needed to do to close it out.”
Louisville broke through in the 29th minute when Izaiah Jennings brought down a long ball at the top of the penalty area. The ball was deflected away, but it fell right to tournament MVP Tate Schmitt, who laid off a pass to his right to Dieye.
Dieye’s low shot from 10 yards got under UNC defender John Nelson and beat goalkeeper James Pyle to the far post for his fifth goal of the year. It was only the eighth goal allowed all season by the Tar Heels (14-3-1), the top-ranked defense in the nation.
“It is so special,” Dieye said. “I couldn’t ask for a better gift for a 21st birthday. I’m really happy right now.”
As the game wore on, the Cardinals employed a scorched-earth defense against the Tar Heels, fouling frequently to break up attacks. Louisville had 20 fouls to UNC’s 10, plus all four of the match’s yellow cards.
“It put a lot of responsibility on us to take our setpieces and free kicks,” UNC coach Carlos Somoano said.
“There were so many that were wasted. … I think there was even one where Jack (Skahan) kicked the corner flag or something. … If we see that scenario again, we have to take every free kick a little bit more precisely.”
UNC, ranked NO. 4 nationally, outshot Louisville 9-6, including 6-2 in a second half that was dominated by the Tar Heels. But Louisville goalkeeper Jake Gelnovatch, who is the son of Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch, came up with four saves, three in the second half, in his fifth shutout of the season.
Louisville will earn the ACC’s automatic berth in the 60th annual NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. UNC will be one of as many as nine ACC teams that could make the 48-team field when the pairings are announced at 1:30 p.m. Monday.