Aug. 30, 2002
Box Score
Chapel Hill, N.C. - The University of North Carolina got a goal on a free kick 32 seconds into overtime from Mike Gell to give the Tar Heels a 2-1 win over Akron on Friday night in the Nike Carolina Classic. Gell drilled the free kick into the right corner of the net from just outside the box after Zip defender Alex Odwell pulled down Tar Heel forward Jonathan Davis.
Gell's goal comes six days after he scored the game-tying goal in Carolina's 2-2 with Connecticut in last Saturday night's exhibition game in Cary, N.C.
The Tar Heels opened up the scoring early, scoring on their second shot of the game when Ryan Kneipper scored on a header off a free kick by David Testo. Kneipper was falling to the ground while being dragged down by a Zip defender but still managed to get his head on the ball and send it into the back right of the net.
Akron tied the score at 1-1 with less than three minutes left in the first half when UNC goalkeeper Jay Batt, making his first collegiate start, dropped an Akron shot and Will Kleitzien headed the ball into the net at the 42:41 mark.
In Friday evening's first game, No. 11 Saint Louis and No. 24 Wake Forest fought to a 1-1 tie in the rain. Nick Walls of Saint Louis scored early in the game at the 8:53 mark for a 1-0 Billiken lead. After nearly 72 scoreless minutes, Wake's Justin Moose scored on a one-touch shot in the box off a pass from Bobby Gehring, tying the score at 1-1. The two squads played two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods before the game ended in a tie.
The Nike Carolina Classic will conclude on Sunday afternoon with Wake Forest facing Akron at 12:30 p.m. and Carolina facing Saint Louis at 3 p.m. The UNC-Saint Louis game will be broadcast live on WCHL-1360 AM in the Triangle area in the first of what will be 10 men's broadcasts on WCHL this season.
