Adversity no issue for men's soccer at North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Any number of adjectives can be used to describe this year's Terrapins men's soccer team. Timid isn't one of them.

"We're not afraid of the challenges that we set for ourselves," coach Sasho Cirovski said at the team's annual media day in August.

With each game they've played this season, the No. 3 Terps (13-1-2, 4-1-1 ACC) have proved just that. Whether it's shutting down the nation's top scorer, routing a top-10 ACC rival or handing a defense its first goal in nine games, they've aced almost every test they've faced this season.

But few challenges have been more daunting — or required more adjusting — than the ones presented at No. 2 North Carolina (11-2-2, 3-1-2) on Friday night.

"That was one of the hardest games we've played all year," defender Taylor Kemp said after the Terps secured a 1-1 tie, "if not the hardest."

The difficulties started long before kickoff at Fetzer Field. Starting midfielder Sunny Jane was shown a red card and ejected in the second half of a win over then-No. 22 Duke the week before, making him ineligible to play against the Tar Heels.

And as their assists leader watched from the stands, the Terps struggled to establish an offensive rhythm against the ACC's top-ranked defense. They managed only two shots in the first half, while North Carolina forward Ben Speas notched five bids of his own.

For one of the few times this year, it appeared Cirovski's squad might end up on the wrong side of the scoreline.

Just 10 minutes after midfielder John Stertzer gave the Terps a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal of the season, defender London Woodberry was called for a handball in the penalty box. After arguing the call with the referee, he suffered the same fate as Jane: He was shown a red card and was ejected from the game.

"I didn't think it was a handball," Kemp said. "But you know, things like that happen."

That controversial call left the Terps a man down for the second time in just seven days.

"It's really tough," Stertzer said. "They're a good team, and they're a possessing-style team. When you play against them a man down, they make you work."

And as the fatigue began to set in, the obstacles continued to mount. North Carolina midfielder Enzo Martinez converted the ensuing penalty kick, and Terps defender Alex Lee went down with a leg injury just a minute later.

With 48 minutes still separating them from their second tie of the season, the Terps were without three starters. They needed to contain one of the nation's premier attacks with just three midfielders and a makeshift backline.

So Cirovski, forced to improvise, moved midfielder Helge Leikvang into a center-back position and called upon freshman defender Kyle Roach for just the fifth time this season.

"Both Helge and Kyle Roach did phenomenal when they went in," said goalkeeper Will Swaim, who tallied a season-high seven saves Friday. "They played their butts off, and they did very, very well. They knew exactly what to do."

And although it wasn't pretty at times — the Tar Heels tallied 14 shots in the second half alone — the Terps held on for the tie.

It wasn't necessarily the result they'd hoped for earlier that day, but it was exactly what the Terps needed. The draw gave them a point and kept them atop the ACC standings for at least one more week.

They sit one point ahead of Wake Forest, which they'll face in their final regular season matchup on Nov. 3.

But for Cirovski, Friday night's performance wasn't about points or league standings. It was about stepping up to yet another challenge.

"There are always going to be things we can't control," he said. "I think the guys raised their game. Really, I thought it was great."

With fewer than two weeks remaining before the start of the postseason, the Terps are still the aggressive team Cirovski touted in August.