No. 15 North Carolina closed its regular season with a 1-1 draw against NC State on Friday, Oct. 30, at Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Tar Heels took the lead in the 84th minute, but NC State answered five minutes later. Aidan Payne collected a loose ball in the penalty area and put his shot into the bottom corner, leaving the teams level at the final whistle.
Late goals decide the match
North Carolina produced the game's opening goal after Luca Nikolai worked through the defense and sent a pass to Evans Dapaah. Dapaah finished the chance in the 84th minute for his first goal as a Tar Heel.
The goal followed several chances on both sides. The teams each had one shot on target in the first half, while NC State held a 5-3 advantage in shots before halftime. North Carolina created opportunities after the break, including a header by Joschi Schelb that went wide and a long attempt by Nikolai that deflected over the goal.
NC State goalkeeper Aidan Payne tested North Carolina goalkeeper Alan Rutkowski in the 60th minute. Rutkowski made the save at his near post, and North Carolina appeared to have secured the result when Dapaah scored. Payne's equalizer in the 89th minute changed the outcome on Senior Night.
- North Carolina finished the regular season 8-2-5 overall and 3-1-4 in ACC play.
- NC State ended the regular season 5-5-6 overall and 1-3-4 in the ACC.
- Nikolai recorded his 10th assist of the season and his 23rd career assist.
ACC tournament ahead
North Carolina finished seventh in the ACC standings. The Tar Heels are set to host Cal at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the first round of the ACC Championship tournament.
The draw extended North Carolina's regular-season record while ending its ACC schedule at four wins, one loss and four draws. The Tar Heels will now begin the conference tournament at home against Cal, with a place in the next round at stake.
