Providence drops Elite Eight matchup to North Carolina in 2016 NCAA Soccer Tournament on a golden goal

North Carolina hosted Providence Friday night in the Elite Eight of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. And after a lengthy affair, the Friars would drop the match to the Tar Heels on a golden goal in double overtime.

North Carolina played a game of possession the first half. They really pushed the back four of Providence and wore them down. The ball seemed to be within 18 yards of the goal a lot in the first 20 minutes, which created a lot of opportunities. They simply just couldn’t find the back of the net.

For the Friars however, the offense shifted into gear the last 20 minutes of the half. This created a lot of opportunities for them, but they couldn’t find the net either.

The second half was all UNC. The Friars had to turn to their back four, a big reason they made it this far, and Friday night was no exception.

It was a 0-0 match after 90, so they played another ten minutes. Nothing was really going for either side, but each team managed to put up a shot. UNC’s came off a corner, but the header try on the back end was not enough.

So, they began another overtime period. This time it was golden goal style. Just one minute and forty seconds in, Tar Heels substitute Drew Murphy knocked one off Providence goalkeeper Colin Miller’s hands, and it wound up in the back of the net, effectively ending the Friars’ season at 15-7-0.