North Carolina
Penn State
Tar Heels Fall at Penn State in Double Overtime
November 28, 2002 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 28, 2002
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The No. 15 Penn State men's soccer team knocked off No. 17 North Carolina with a sudden-victory goal in the second overtime on Wednesday night to earn the chance to host William and Mary in the round of 16 Sunday afternoon at noon at Jeffrey Field. The game marked the final contest in a UNC uniform for Tar Heel seniors Matt Crawford, Mike Gell, Ryan Kneipper and David Testo.
Sophomore forward Chad Severs (Ocean City, N.J.) took a pass from freshman David Walters (Hunlock Creek, Pa.) at the top of the box and clinched the dramatic win over the defending national champions with a right-footed shot into the lower right corner of the goal with 2:45 left in the final overtime period. With the win, Penn State improved to 15-7, while North Carolina finished its season at 14-7-1.
The first half of regulation passed by with few scoring opportunities for either team. The Nittany Lions had their best chance to put a point on the board just before halftime, when Joe Zewe (North Versailles, Pa.) took a pass from the backfield and broke into the open. Tar Heel keeper Ford Williams came out of the box to pressure Zewe, so Zewe sailed a shot over his arms and just over the crossbar.
After halftime, North Carolina quickly struck back with a strong scoring opportunity of its own. Testo, who led the Heels with five shots for the game, slipped open on the right side five minutes into the half and blasted a shot just wide right of the Penn State goal. The remaining minutes of regulation ticked away with neither team finding any quality scoring chances, as both defenses became more and more physical as the game progressed.
Penn State managed two more shots in the first overtime period, neither of which were on goal, while North Carolina posted just one shot that sailed high. In the second overtime, the Nittany Lions applied all the offensive pressure, as Zewe once again initiated the charge. With 4:14 remaining on the clock, Zewe took a pass in the box and fired toward the right side of the goal, but Williams thwarted his attempt with a quick diving save. Less than two minutes later, Severs found the back of the net with his team-leading 16th goal and sixth game-winning goal of the season. Severs now leads the team with 34 points on the year.
For the game, Severs took four of Penn State's eight shots, while Zewe chipped in with three. The Nittany Lions held North Carolina to eight shots, but most importantly, they held leading-scorer Ryan Kneipper without a shot for the entire game. Kneipper made headlines last week after scoring five goals against Winthrop in the Tar Heels' first round win.
