Blazers Fall to No. 6 UNC, 1-0

Thursday, August 22

Birmingham, AL

7 p.m.

UAB

0-1-0, 0-0-0

North Carolina

1-0-0, 0-0-0

North Carolina

UAB

Blazers Fall to No. 6 UNC, 1-0

8/22/2024 11:28:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – UAB men's soccer (0-1) opened the David Lilly era with a tough 1-0 defeat against No. 6 North Carolina (1-0). The Tar Heels scored the lone goal of the game on a penalty kick in the 71^st minute.

"We're obviously disappointed with the result today." Lilly said, "While we can't fault the work ethic and attitude from today, we do need to learn the lessons quickly and move on to the next game. We are looking forward to our next opportunity on Tuesday."

UAB did not back down against the highly ranked Tar Heels. The Blazers even outshot UNC 8-6, but they were only able to get one shot on frame. The match featured nine yellow cards with six being shown to the visitors.

At the half, the match remained scoreless with few chances for either side.

Early in the second half, the Blazers had a flurry of dangerous opportunities in the attacking third. UAB had six of its eight shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

In the 71^st minute, a foul was called on the Blazers inside the box, and it was upheld after video review, granting the Tar Heels a penalty kick. UNC's striker, Martin Vician, was able to convert to make it a 1-0 contest.

With just over nine minutes to go, a second yellow card was shown to UNC's Tate Johnson, putting the Blazers a man up for the remainder of the night. UAB was unable to find the equalizer, falling 1-0.

NOTES

Seven players made their UAB debuts in the contest while Lucas Rizzo also made his first collegiate start.
The Blazers outshot a ranked foe for the first time since the spring of 2021.

UP NEXT
The Blazers will be back in action on Tuesday night at PNC Field against Georgia State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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