Oregon State soccer player discovered ineligible AFTER Elite 8 win over UNC
Saturday, Dec. 2 was a sad night for UNC soccer fans, with the men’s team losing a tightly-contested, 1-0 defensive battle at home against Oregon State in the Elite 8.
The Beavers scored a first half goal and, despite a couple of solid Tar Heel chances, held on and advance to the College Cup. Oregon State has since seen its season come to an end, losing 1-0 to Notre Dame in a semifinal match.
What resulted long after UNC’s loss to the Beavers, however, is what’s frustrating.
Oregon State midfielder Javier Armas, a Pac-12 First Team selection this past year, was later discovered to be ruled ineligible for the UNC matchup.
A statement from North Carolina Athletics pic.twitter.com/bO9qAv618j
— UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) December 8, 2023
Armas’ ineligibility resulted from his eighth yellow card accumulated in the Sweet 16, when the Beavers beat 2024 ACC newcomer SMU (Southern Methodist University).
Though it’s tough to find any good news for Carolina in this situation, Armas never scored in the Elite 8 contest. Soccer is one of those sports, however, where you don’t need to score to positively affect the game.
While there are a lot of what ifs in this situation, I’m sure this wouldn’t be talked about if UNC had emerged victorious. The Tar Heels did nothing wrong – it’s just simply not fair when an opponent’s best player, despite being ineligible, is allowed to play.
It’d be nice to see a replay, or even UNC in the College Cup, but we’re already at the Championship round. An ACC program will win it all regardless, as Notre Dame faces Clemson, on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
