Air Force Falls in Season Opener at No. 24 North Carolina, 2-1

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Air Force struck first in their season debut but ultimately fell to the 24^th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in a Thursday evening match up at Dorrance Field. The match marks the first of a five-game road stint to open the 2022 campaign.

Air Force was quick off the blocks as junior forward Thaddaeus Dewing notched the first strike of the season via counterattack assist from senior teammate Jake Chaffetz in the fourth minute.

The Tar Heels dug in and found their rhythm as the controlled most of the ensuing possessions, notching the equalizer in the 30^th minute and taking the lead in the 44^th. North Carolina's Milo Garvanian was credited with the first goal and assisted Key White in the second goal.

At the half, the Tar Heels attempted seven shots to the Falcons' one on goal. The second half provided a similar feeling to the first with UNC taking the majority of shots behind an aggressive Milo who led the squad with three shot attempts. Dewing, Chaffetz and Luke Hill attempted a shot apiece. UNC took eight corner kick attempts to AF's one. The Falcons were charged with 17 fouls, nearly double the Tar Heels' nine foul calls.

In his first start in goal, Air Force's John Byszewski made four saves against 12 shots, six on goal. The Heels' Andre Cordes made one save in 90 minutes. London Aghedo, Nick Bourgeois, Tyler Johnson, and Jake Chaffetz clocked 90 minutes on the pitch in the middle and back field. Dewing registered 90 minutes of action in the forward position. The Falcons cycled 15 players onto the pitch over the course of the match.

"I'm proud of our guys," head coach Doug Hill said. "It was nice to get the lead early but we weren't able to control the ball how we wanted in the first half. The men showed a lot of tenacity in the second half and held a talented team no second-half goals. We're going to get better at managing our open spaces and keeping the ball on the opponent's side of the pitch. We saw what we could do with our counter offense and we're going to use that to our advantage in the future. It's a great facility here at Dorrance and the guys will use this experience to move forward stronger."

Next up, Air Force heads on to Winston-Salem to take on No. 15 Wake Forest on Sunday (Aug. 28). Action at Spry Stadium is slated for 7 pm ET. The Falcons and Demon Deacons will be meeting for the second time in program history. The Demon Deacons won the first meeting, one-nil, in Winston-Salem.

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