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Russell Shealy made a routine save on a North Carolina corner kick in the 85th minute. But instead of allowing his Syracuse teammates to spread back out into their positions and formation, he elected to immediately punt it deep, seeing an opening for Levonte Johnson. 

The punt wasn’t his finest, but it was well-driven. After a deflection, Shealy made a punt that set Johnson up for a one-on-one, which he finished, sending No. 4 Syracuse (13-2-3, 5-1-2 Atlantic Coast) to the ACC Tournament semifinals against No. 14 Virginia. In the midfield, Amferny Sinclair, who made his first appearance since being injured, provided defensive stability to withhold any Tar Heel attack, which only developed four shots. Though Shealy wasn’t called into action too often, his play helped solidify another shutout for Syracuse, its ninth of the season.

“Sometimes the game just needs that,” Shealy said of his rushed punt. “(The Tar Heels) were defending really well, and so we just had to catch them off guard sometimes.”

On Shealy’s punt, which was not officially recognized as an assist, SU head coach Ian McIntyre said he repeatedly told Shealy not to punt it deep, but Shealy “didn’t listen.” And Johnson himself didn’t expect him to punt it either, but still decided to run “just (because),” he said.

Shealy said he just looked up and saw a one-on-one for Johnson, recognizing it wasn’t a great kick. The corner came as a result of another clutch save from Shealy, who had four on the night. All four of the Tar Heels’ shots were on goal, too.

North Carolina’s Cameron Fisher drove down the left side of the 18, getting the edge around SU’s right backline. Fisher shot the ball, aiming for the near post and the lower-right side of the goal. But Shealy dove, knocking the ball out for a corner which would later set up his routine save on the corner that kickstarted SU’s goal — the Orange’s lone shot on target.

From the defensive midfield, Sinclair facilitated the team both offensively and defensively. Early in the second half, Sinclair played a cross-field ball, switching the ball out-wide to Giona Leibold. As he’s done all season, Leibold drove on the left side, but his cross was too far high and wide and didn’t pose any threat.

“He always brings it for us,” Shealy said of Sinclair. “He’s the workhorse in the midfield.”

He also made several tackles within the midfield, helping SU develop its attacks. After winning a tackle in the Orange’s own defensive half, Sinclair looked up and played a smart ball to Boselli outside the left, but the pass had a little too much pace, going out of bounds.

Though Syracuse didn’t develop many meaningful shot opportunities, only generating five shots and four corners, Sinclair almost created a set piece opportunity. With under fifteen minutes remaining in regulation, Sinclair won a tackle in Syracuse’s offensive half. He played out wide to Levonte, who started to drive toward the 18. As he made a cut, a UNC defender made a hard tackle, forcing Levonte to land awkwardly on the ground. The referee said there was no foul, but it initially didn’t seem the Tar Heel player played the ball.

“He’s been out a few weeks,” McIntyre said. “I think he’s our first name on the team sheet. He’s out heartbeat.” Sinclair hadn’t seen action since Syracuse drew NC State on Oct. 22.

Throughout the game, as the central defensive midfielder, Sinclair was often matched up against UNC’s Tim Schels, who McIntyre described as the “man of the match.” McIntyre said Schels made it difficult for Syracuse through his ability to cover ground and make tackles, but he was impressed by Sinclair’s performance, calling it a “big time ACC matchup.”

Similar to Syracuse, the Tar Heels also created more of their scoring chances in the second half, eventually totaling four shots and four corners. Halfway through the second half, Fisher crossed the ball near the end line on the left side of the 18. He passed a dangerous, trailing ball, finding the feet of Andrew Czech, who’s shot from near the penalty box didn’t muster enough power to get past Shealy. 

In the first half, North Carolina got the first shot on goal, when Ernest Bawa dribbled from the left side to the center of the field. He elected to shoot from outside the box, but it didn’t pose much of a threat to Shealy, who was well-positioned for his first save of the night. 

In the waning seconds as North Carolina pressed forward to keep its season alive, Shealy made one simpler stop, laying on the ball as the clock trickled down and securing a spot in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament against Virginia. 

“Last year was tough to end the season on it, but it was good to give it back to (North Carolina),” Shealy said.

Published on November 6, 2022 at 10:28 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini