By Jojo Doria

Top seeded North Carolina got a wonder goal from Ben Speas and it was enough to win a national title.

The Tar Heels held off the unseeded Charlotte 49ers 1-0 in Sunday's College Cup NCAA men's soccer championship game.

North Carolina (21-2-3) won its second national title - the other was in 2001 - thanks to Speas' goal from about 25 yards out midway through the second half.

"Ben had a moment of inspiration, and it was incredible," first-year Tar Heels coach Carlos Somoano said.

Speas had been in this moment before having transferred from Akron after playing on the Zips' 2010 national championship team. He lifted a left-footed shot that Charlotte goalkeeper Klay Davis couldn't reach in the 65th minute and the Tar Heels hung on from there.

Charlotte (16-5-4) outshot North Carolina 19-10 and pressured the Tar Heels relentlessly over the final 10 minutes but could never get the equalizer.

"We couldn't have asked for anything more in the game," 49ers coach Jeremy Gunn said. "The simple fact is they scored an incredible goal to win the game and we did everything but that."

Soccer - North Carolina Edges Charlotte for NCAA Men's Soccer Title