SPORTS

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Nils Bruening’s header in the 15th minute was the difference as nationally-ranked North Carolina edged Davidson, 1-0, in non-conference men’s soccer action Tuesday at Alumni Stadium.

After almost six minutes of action, lightning in the Lake Norman area halted play for almost 90 minutes.

With the win, the Tar Heels improve to 5-1-0, while the Wildcats fall to 2-3-0.

Davidson had a great chance to grab the early lead but Quinn Dudek’s header in front was hit right at the keeper.

Both teams finished with a pair of corner kicks.

Up Next
Davidson will wrap up its brief homestand Sunday when UNC Asheville comes to town for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Postgame Comments from Head Coach Matt Spear 
It was another hard fought match for us – all five games so far have been decided by one goal. These tight ones usually hinge on a special play or a set piece.

Overall I liked our effort and focus. I just think we needed a bit more belief to win it.

It was an even match with both teams defending well – I bet it was the season low in shots for each team.

There were moments where they carried the possession but we were ok with them in front of us.

And we had moments where we broke forward well and created some attacking sequences.

We are not a “moral victory” program so we don’t say it’s enough that we hung tough with a top ranked team that played in the last couple Final Fours.

With that said, I do feel we can learn from the match.

At one point we had 4-5 freshmen on the field so it’s good for them to experience a high level. And Jamie DiLuziowas a good one for us tonight. He’s confident and a bit feisty which you need against an ACC opponent.

Now we have some time to recover after a couple quick matches in succession. We hope to get a few players back from injury.

It’s our intention to play on Sunday for Senior Day, but we will watch the Hurricane to determine if it needs to be postponed.