FETZER FIELD/ CHAPEL HILL—Following the conclusion of Friday evening’s hard-fought 2-2 draw between the No. 2 North Carolina and No. 18 Maryland Men’s Soccer teams, the hundred or so Terrapin students who made the trek from College Park, Md., after serenading the Maryland players with their school’s fight song, turned to those Tar Heels fans remaining from the 4,089 in attendance and offered up a chant. It was a simple salutation, a gesture of reconciliation and unity to commemorate the final ACC regular season match between these longtime conference foes before Maryland departs next year for the Big 10:

“We all hate Duke … We all hate Duke … We all hate Duke …”

The Terrapins and Tar Heels have won four of the last five ACC Men’s Tournament titles; although Maryland has three of those four championships, UNC won in 2011 and finished runner-up to Maryland in 2010 and 2012. Indeed, Friday’s match was the first time since 2008 both teams were not ranked in the top-5 nationally when going head-to-head, a span of four seasons and six games.

But despite their 1-2-1 record entering Friday’s contest, the Terrapins played like the perennial powerhouse they are against their latter-day rival. Indeed, the teams came out like Tommy Hearns versus Marvin Hagler, hard-hitting prize fingers looking to land an early knockout blow.

“That’s a dangerous team right there,” confirmed UNC Head Coach Carlos Somoano. “They come in with two losses and one win out of four games, you know they’re feeling their back against the wall and they’re coming in with everything tonight. Not that they don’t usually throw their best punch, but they certainly came out swinging.”

And striking first. In the 11th minute, striker Schillo Tshuma gathered a loose ball atop the area and let loose a searing finish that flew past helpless Tar Heel goalkeeper Brendan Moore and rippled the back of the net.

“It was a defensive mistake from them, and we had a counter with one guy in the back,” Tshuma said. “I was trying to get Daniel Metzger on the far post, but I underhit the ball. He went on a 50-50 with the defender, and [the ball] just rolled back to me. I just tried to hit it as hard as I can and put it on frame.”

Three minutes later, UNC responded when full back Jordan McCrary, making a dribble drive into the left side of the box, was tripped in the area and drew a penalty. Raby George stepped to the spot and calmly converted the PK to knot the score at 1-1.

It was the Tar Heels’ turn to stick their nose in front in the 21st minute thanks to a highlight goal from midfielder Omar Holness. Gathering possession midway in Carolina’s backfield, Holness dribbled through three Terrapins before making a beeline for the goal. Ambling over open acreage, the 6-foot freshman maneuvered around his final defender before scuffing a left-footed shot that stayed low and skimmed past goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

“I saw the space and took it,” said Holness, who apparently plans to major in Understatement. “That’s basically one of my strengths, so just see the space and take it. And score.”

The goal was the first real glimpse of the potential that Somoano has been touting about the Kingston, Jamaica newcomer since preseason training.

“He’s got the juice,” Somoano reiterated after Friday’s match. “We get to see him everyday in practice, and we know he’s got that kind of power and explosiveness. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can bring to us offensively.

“His role is to find those spots. It’s taken him a little time to figure that out—how the team moves and what their expectations are. It’s not anything we told him to do differently, he’s just getting better at his position.”