CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A season to remember for Loyola University Maryland men's soccer came to an end on Thursday, as North Carolina advanced 4-2 on penalties following a scoreless draw in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Greyhounds (10-6-4) held a Tar Heels squad which advanced to its seventh College Cup in the last 13 years last spring without a single shot on goal over a 68-minute stretch from the end of the first half until the middle of double overtime. Loyola outshot UNC (11-6-2) by a 3-0 margin in the second half and had several strong scoring chances stopped by both first team All-ACC goalkeeper Alec Smir and the backline.

"I couldn't be any prouder of our effort tonight," head coach Steve Nichols said. "Tonight we showed again that we can play with anyone in the country. North Carolina is a storied program with a long history of success, and we were right there down to the end. We're going to grow from this; the future is incredibly bright for Loyola soccer."

Chase Vosvick's collegiate career fittingly ended with a clean sheet in goal. The Patriot League's all-time shutout leader made two highlight-reel saves, one midway through the first half and another in the 106th minute, to force the game to PKs. Vosvick leaves Loyola with 30 career clean sheets, including 10 this season, and 42 victories in 73 collegiate starts.

Loyola's top three scorers on the year all threatened the UNC backline. Justin Ingram sent a curling effort which appeared to be heading towards the top right corner in the 50th minute before Smir managed to tip the ball over the crossbar. Kelan Swales then had a 70th minute header cleared on the goal line by a Tar Heel defender, and Daniel Tshiani had a 1-on-1 opportunity in the closing minutes of overtime stopped by the face of a charging Smir.

The Greyhounds missed on their first two penalties in the deciding shootout, while UNC went a perfect 4 for 4 to extend its season.

Shots overall were 8-5 in favor of the Tar Heels, while Loyola had a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. 

"I give a lot of credit to all of our fifth-year seniors who decided to come back this season," Nichols said. "They got this team over the hump and back to the national tournament for the first time since 2009, and we're going to keep moving forward. This is where we want to be year-in and year-out."

North Carolina advances to face No. 16 New Hampshire in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.