GoHeels Exclusive: Big Weekend For Olympic Sports

by Pat James

Few college athletic programs are accustomed to the success the North Carolina women's soccer team, winner of 22 national championships, has experienced in 39 years of existence.

However, entering this year's ACC Championship, the Tar Heels hadn't claimed the conference title since 2009. Such a drought could seem like an eternity for a program that won 20 of the first 22 ACC Tournaments. But now it's over.

After defeating N.C. State, 1-0, in Friday's semifinals, second-seeded UNC upended top-seeded Duke, 1-0, on Sunday at MUSC Health Stadium in Charleston, S.C., to claim its 21st ACC championship.

A goal in the first minute of the second half proved to be the difference. Alessia Russo, who scored the game-winner against N.C. State and was ultimately named tournament MVP, attempted a shot that was blocked. But Zoe Redei pounced on the ball and scored her second goal in three games on the rebound.

With the win, the Tar Heels snapped Duke's school-record 19-game winning streak. The Blue Devils' only other loss also came against UNC, which won 2-1 in overtime on Aug. 18.

The Tar Heels also clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They'll likely be announced as one of the four No. 1 seeds when the tournament selection show airs at 4:30 p.m. Monday on NCAA.com.

Defense leads field hockey to ACC title

Through its first 13 games, the field hockey team ranked fifth nationally with a 0.99 goals against average. But after narrowly beating Wake Forest 3-2 during the ACC Championship quarterfinals on Thursday, UNC had surrendered 13 goals in its past five matches.

Despite that, it was the Tar Heels' defense that led them to their 20th ACC championship.

UNC, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, knocked off top-seeded Virginia, 4-0, on Friday at Louisville's Trager Stadium. It then defeated the third-seeded Cardinals, 1-0, in Sunday's title game, giving the Tar Heels back-to-back shutouts for the first time since Sept. 17 and 19.

Virginia entered Friday averaging 4.78 goals, which ranked second nationally. But UNC's defense shut out the Cavaliers for the second time this season, despite allowing 19 shots.

In Sunday's championship game, the Tar Heels seized a 1-0 lead on Malin Evert's goal in the 19th minute. That proved to be all the team needed, as the defense held Louisville to just four shots and one penalty corner.

UNC, the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, will look to continue its stout defensive play in its first-round game against Saint Joseph's at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.

Miller gets 1,500th win

In 1967, Ron Miller came to UNC as a physical education instructor. He's served as the fencing coach since then, and at the Ohio State Elite Invitational on Saturday, he accrued the latest milestone victory in his career.

With eight total wins by the men's and women's fencing teams over the weekend, Miller eclipsed 1,500 career wins. Needing just two to reach that mark, Miller earned those when the Tar Heel women defeated Cornell 15-12 and Northwestern 17-10 on Saturday.

In UNC's first dual meets of the season, the Tar Heel women finished the two-day event 5-3 and then men 3-3.

Nguyen shoots career low

The lone senior on the women's golf team, Bryana Nguyen entered the Battle of the Beach in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico having not finished under par in nine rounds this fall.

But in the Tar Heels' final tournament of the fall season, Nguyen carded a career-low 68 in Friday's first round. The 3-under par score helped her conclude the tournament as the team's top finisher at 5-over, tying her for 26th.

A majority of Nguyen's success came on par-4 holes, which she finished tied for 13th on at 2-over. Behind her, UNC tied for 11th place out of 14 teams, finishing at 36-over.

Rowing wraps up fall season

Racing in one of the world's largest regattas, the rowing team concluded the fall season with a few impressive results at the Head of the Hooch.

UNC's A boat finished fifth in the Women's Championship 8+ field of 21 with a time of 16:37.93. The Tar Heels also excelled in the Women's Novice 8+ race, which the A boat finished in 17:22.31 to take third and the B boat in 17:50.14 to take fifth.

UNC also raced six fours, led by B boat's 10th-place finish in 18:32.13.

Men's soccer loses in ACC quarterfinals

For the fifth straight season, the men's soccer team failed to win a game in the ACC Championship.

Just nine days removed from a 3-0 win over Notre Dame in the regular-season finale, the second-seeded Tar Heels fell 2-1 against the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish in Sunday's ACC Championship quarterfinals at Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park.

Notre Dame seized a 1-0 lead in just the sixth minute. Although UNC finished the first half with a 7-1 edge in shots and 5-1 in corner kicks, it couldn't score against the Fighting Irish's compact defense until Alan Winn found the back of the net in the 87th minute. But the goal, which trimmed Notre Dame's lead to 2-1, came too late.

Jiang shines in home meet

Through his first two collegiate meets, Alvin Jiang showed flashes of his potential, swimming the 100-yard backstroke in 48.51 against Georgia and 48.76 against South Carolina. And during Saturday's home meet against Virginia Tech, he continued his early success.

In the men's swimming and diving team's 166-134 victory over the 19th-ranked Hokies, Jiang took first place in the 100-yard backstroke. His time of 46.83 in the event marked the fastest in the ACC this season.

Jiang's other individual victory came in the 100-yard butterfly, which he finished in a time of 48.15. He also teamed with Valdas Abaliksta, Nick Loomis and J.T. Casey to win the 200-yard medley relay.

The women's team also seized momentum with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay. That ultimately helped the 19th-ranked Tar Heel women beat the 22nd-ranked Hokies, 178.5-121.5.

Sanford's run ends

With her Round of 16 win over Miami's Estela Perez-Somarriba, the No. 9 seed and nation's No. 11 singles player, freshman Alle Sanford reached the quarterfinals of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championship on Friday.

But her run was cut short that evening, when Sanford – the winner of 12 of her previous 13 singles matches – fell 6-2, 6-4 against No. 29 Andrea Lazaro of Florida International.

The women's tennis team also hosted the 14th annual Kitty Harrison Invitational at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center this weekend. Marika Akkerman, Chloe Ouellet-Pizer and Cassandra Vazquez each went 3-0 in singles over the three-day span. Akkerman and Ouellet-Pizer tied for fourth.

Liberos lead volleyball

After losing three straight matches, the volleyball team moved back above .500 with home wins over Boston College and Syracuse on Friday and Sunday, respectively. In each, the Tar Heels (12-10, 9-5 ACC) received strong libero play.

Sidelined since the start of ACC play with a concussion, Mia Fradenburg returned Friday after missing 12 games and led all players with 16 digs. She also tallied a career-high nine assists in the 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-13, 25-15).

Casey Jacobs played libero during Fradenburg's 12-game absence. And in the 3-0 win (25-23, 25-16, 26-24) over Syracuse, Jacobs filled that role and registered a career-high 24 digs. It marked the most digs by a Tar Heel in a three-set match since Sheila Doyle had 26 against Virginia Tech on Nov. 14, 2015.

Heilmann opens season with title

After advancing to the NCAA Championships last season, Troy Heilmann picked up where he left off Sunday at the Hokie Open, the wrestling team's first event of the 2017-18 season.

Heilmann secured five wins, including one by pin and another by major decision, en route to the 149-pound title. He defeated Appalachian State's Matt Zovistoski, No. 14 in InterMat's 149-pound rankings, and Gavin Londoff in the semifinals and final, respectively.

A.C. Headlee, who redshirted last season, won the 141-pound championship. He outlasted Old Dominion's Alex Madrigal in sudden victory overtime to seize the title.

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Zoe Redei

Alessia Russo

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