University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 21 Tar Heels Visit No. 4 Wake Forest
October 28, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 28, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The North Carolina men's soccer team will travel to Winston-Salem this weekend to face Atlantic Coast Conference rival Wake Forest Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Spry Stadium in a matchup of two ranked teams. Carolina is ranked No. 21 in this week's NSCAA poll, Wake is No. 4.
The game marks Carolina's fifth game this season against a ranked team. UNC is 0-4 in those games, losing on the road at No. 7 Creighton and No. 16 Virginia and at home to No. 3 Duke and No. 11 Maryland.
Carolina is led offensively by sophomore forward Chris Carrieri, who leads the Tar Heels in scoring with 25 points (10g-5a) this season. Junior forward Caleb Norkus is second on the team in scoring with 19 (9g-1a) and junior midfielder Michael Bucy is third with 18 points (5g-8a). All three are among the top six scorers in the ACC.
The Tar Heels' strong young defensive corps has allowed 15 goals in 15 games and sophomore goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey ranks third in the ACC with a 0.73 goals-against average. UNC is 9-2 this year in games Ueltschey has started in goal.
In the latest ACC rankings (as of Oct. 25), Carolina ranked second in the ACC in scoring offense (2.86 gpg) and fourth in scoring defense (1.07 gpg).
Tar Heels Riding Three-Game Shutout Streak
Carolina has won four straight games, the last three of which have been by shutout. The winning streak began on Oct. 17 with a 3-2 win at Davidson. The Tar Heels followed that road victory with a 4-0 shutout of UNC Asheville, a 3-0 shutout at NC State and a 6-0 blanking of High Point. UNC has won five of its last six games, losing only to No. 11 Maryland by a 1-0 score on Oct. 9 during the stretch. Carolina has ouscored its opponents, 25-4 during the six-game span.
The Series with the Demon Deacons
Carolina leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 16-3-4. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 8-2-3 in 13 career games against the Demon Deacons. Carolina has won two in a row over the Deacons, including a 2-1 win in Chapel Hill last year and a 2-1 overtime win in Winston-Salem in 1997.
In the National Rankings
In this week's national rankings, Carolina is ranked No. 21 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (as of Oct. 25). This season, Carolina has been ranked as high as No. 12 in the week of Sept. 20 before losing at No. 16 Virginia, 2-1, in Charlottesville.
Young Heels Growing Up on the Field
The Tar Heel roster features just three seniors and eight upperclassmen overall, but Carolina has come together and played cohesively this season despite its inexperience. Seven of Carolina's regular starters this season are either freshmen or sophomores. Last season, with just one senior and a starting lineup dominated by freshmen, UNC went 11-6-2 to post its best season in several years.
This year, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents, 46-15, taken over twice the number of shots (244 to 120) as its opponents and allowed one goal or less in 11 of 15 games.
Fast Facts
The Heels have gotten off to quick starts often this year, outscoring their opponents, 22-9, in the first half in 1999 ... The Tar Heels are 6-2 at home, 4-2 away and 1-0 at neutral sites ... Carolina is 8-0 when leading at halftime, 1-1 when tied at haltime and 2-3 when trailing at intermission.
Head Coach Elmar Bolowich
Now in his 11th season as Carolina's head coach, Elmar Bolowich has a career coaching record of 119-82-12, all at UNC. Bolowich has led the Tar Heels to four NCAA appearances.
Among the ACC Leaders (as of Oct. 25)
Chris Carrieri: third in points, tied second in goals, Michael Bucy: sixth in points, tied third in assists, Michael Ueltschey: third in GAA, sixth in saves per game, fifth in save percentage
Tar Heel Honors:
Soccer America Team of the Week: Caleb Norkus (Sept. 20)
Nike Carolina Classic All-Tournament Team: Michael Bucy, Joey DiSalvo, Caleb Norkus, David Popp
Nike Carolina Classic Team MVP: Michael Bucy
