UNC held top-ranked SMU without a single shot on target in a dominant 3-0 win in the ACC championship match Sunday in Cary. The win gives the Tar Heels their fourth ACC Tournament crown and first since 2011 — when they won their most recent national title.
Heels on top ?
UNC gives No. 1 SMU its first loss of the season to win the ACC title!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/IhP9N7b5Cf
— UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 15, 2026
SMU came into the day as the nation’s last unbeaten team, but had no answer for a relentless Carolina effort. Reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year Joschi Schelb got the scoring started in the 41st minute, pouncing on a misguided pass by the Mustang back line and firing home his 18th goal of the season and third in four ACC Tournament matches.
Joschi’s 18th of the season!#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/IhgtTDF6wL
— UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 15, 2026
Taking their 1-0 lead into the second half, Carolina doubled the advantage in the 61st minute thanks to another SMU mistake. After the Mustangs failed to clear a saved UNC shot, Ryan Zellefrow pounced on the loose ball and sent it into the net off the head of a Mustang defender.
The Heels 2nd ?#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/aUQx3QqE0l
— UNC Men's Soccer (@UNCmenssoccer) November 15, 2026
Zellefrow would deliver the dagger in the final minute, taking a breakaway chance all the way to the net and slotting home UNC’s third goal of the night. It was the second brace of the season for Zellefrow, who transferred to Chapel Hill from Vermont in the offseason.
Sunday’s match was just the second time all season SMU had been held without a goal. The Mustangs had romped through the ACC Tournament to that point, winning their quarterfinal and semifinal matches by a combined score of 9-0. It was the seventh shutout of the season for Carolina.
The Tar Heels will enter the NCAA Tournament at 11-2-6 overall and are unbeaten in their last nine matches. Carolina’s 11 wins are already its most in a single season since 2023, when UNC reached the NCAA quarterfinals. The Tar Heels will learn of their NCAA Tournament assignment Monday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. when the full tournament field is announced.
The men’s team’s win capped off a festive Sunday in Cary for UNC soccer. The women’s team won its ACC championship match against Virginia earlier in the day, marking the first time since 2004 that a single school had swept the ACC men’s and women’s soccer titles.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Caleb Rothrock
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