University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Soccer Earns First NCAA Tournament Bid Since 1994
November 17, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 17, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The North Carolina men's soccer team will make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 when it plays at Furman in the opening round of the 1999 Men's College Cup on Sunday Nov. 21 at 1:00 p.m. in Greenville, S.C. The winner of the UNC-Furman match will face the winner of the Wake Forest-Virginia Commonwealth game that will be played Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
"Our team is very excited to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament," Tar Heel head coach Elmar Bolowich said Monday night after receiving the bid. "I'm thrilled for our senior class because it is a group of three players that has worked very hard for four years and had not received a Tournament bid and this was their last chance. I'm very happy for Joey DiSalvo, David Popp and William Woodroffe."
Carolina (12-6-1) is an at-large selection to the tournament and one of five Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field. The other four ACC teams are all among the tournament's top eight seeds: No. 1 Duke, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Virginia and No. 7 Maryland. The Tar Heels reached the semifinals of the ACC Tournament last weekend, defeating Clemson in the first round before falling to No.1-ranked Duke, 4-0, in the semifinals.
Furman (19-1-1) won the Southern Conference championship and defeated Radford, 1-0, in a play-in game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAC Tournament. The Paladins are riding the nation's longest winning streak with 12 victories in a row. They are currently ranked No. 3 in the Soccer America poll, No. 5 in the NSCAA poll and No. 7 in the Soccer Times poll.
Carolina's First NCAA Tournament Appearance Since 1994 Another Step in Program's Return to National Prominence
Although head coach Elmar Bolowich now has led Carolina to five NCAA Tournament appearances (1990-91-93-94-99), this will be Carolina's first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years. "This program has seen some significant changes in the last few years," Bolowich said upon receiving the bid. "To see all of that hard work pay off after a few lean years is very gratifying."
After posting a record of 8-8-1 in 1996, UNC went 6-13 overall and 1-5 in the ACC in 1997 for the program's first losing season in 40 years. In 1998, a young Tar Heel team dominated by freshmen and sophomores went 11-6-2 and 3-3-0 in the ACC to nearly earn an NCAA bid. The 1999 Tar Heels are still a young group, with just three seniors on the team, that will look to continue Carolina's return to national prominence in the coming seasons.
Noting the Tar Heels
Carolina is led offensively by sophomore forward Chris Carrieri, who leads the Tar Heels in scoring with 29 points (12g-5a) this season. Juniors Caleb Norkus (9g-2a) and junior Michael Bucy (5g-10a) are tied for third with 20 points. Sophomore midfielder Noz Yamauchi is fourth on the team with 17 points (4g-9a). Carrieri, Norkus and Bucy are all among the top 10 scorers in the ACC.
The Carolina defense has also played well this season, allowing one goal or less in 13 of its 19 games. UNC is 10-4-1 this year in games sophomore goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey has started in goal. Carolina shut out UNC Asheville, NC State and High Point in consecutive games, outscoring its opponents, 13-0, during the stretch from Oct. 20-27.
In the latest ACC rankings (as of Nov. 15), Carolina ranked second in the ACC in scoring offense (2.63 gpg) and fifth in scoring defense (1.18 gpg).
Carrieri, Jackson Named All-ACC
Sophomore forward Chris Carrieri became Carolina's 38th first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection when he was named to the All-ACC team on Nov. 17. Carrieri was a second-team choice as a freshman in 1998. Fellow sophomore Daniel Jackson, a defender, was a second-team choice, becoming Carolina's 93rd All-ACC honoree overall. Carrieri entered the NCAA Tournament third in the conference in points with 29 and tied for second in goals with 12.
The Series with the Paladins
Carolina leads the all-time series with Furman, 6-2-1. The two teams have never played each other in the NCAA Tournament. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 1-2-1 in four career games against the Paladins. The series is as follows:
Year Site Result 1976 Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC 1, Furman 0 1977 Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC 5, Furman 1 1985 Greenville, S.C. UNC 3, Furman 1 1986 Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC 4, Furman 0 1987 Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC 2, Furman 0 1991 Chapel Hill, N.C. Furman 1, UNC 0 1992 Greenville, S.C. UNC 1, Furman 1 (OT) 1996 Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC 2, Furman 1 1997 Greenville, S.C. Furman 2, UNC 1
Carolina in the NCAA Tournament
Carolina is 7-7 in seven previous NCAA Tournament appearances (1968-87-88-90-91-93-94). The Tar Heels reached the NCAA Final Four in 1987, defeating Duke, South Carolina and Loyola (Md.) along the way before losing to Clemson in the national semifinals.
Bolowich and Allison Familiar Foes
Furman head coach Doug Allison served as an assistant at Carolina under Tar Heel head coach Elmar Bolowich during the 1990 and '91 seasons. Allison is now in his fifth year leading the Furman program.
UNC Reaches ACC Semifinals for First Time Since 1995
The North Carolina men's soccer team, seeded fifth in the ACC Tournament, won its first conference tournament game since 1995 on Nov. 11 when it defeated No. 4 seed Clemson, 1-0, in the second overtime period. Sophomore Matt Laycock's golden goal in the second extra period sent the Tar Heels to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament for the first time since defeating Maryland in the first round of the 1995 tournament in Durham, N.C.
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, 50-23, taken nearly twice the number of shots (296 to 163) as its opponents and allowed one goal or less in 13 of 19 games this year.
Fast Facts
The Heels have gotten off to quick starts often this year, outscoring their opponents, 23-10, in the first half in 1999 ... The Tar Heels are 6-3-0 at home, 4-2-1 away and 2-1-0 at neutral sites ... Carolina is 8-1-0 when leading at halftime, 2-2-0 when tied at haltime and 2-3-1 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 120-84-13, all at UNC. Bolowich has led the Tar Heels to five NCAA appearances -- in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1999.
Carolina Continuing Its Resurgence in the ACC
Carolina has already won more games this season than it did in any season since 1994, and a large part of that improvement is due to a maturing Tar Heel team this fall. Despite boasting just three seniors on its roster, Carolina has scored 50 goals this season (second in the ACC behind Duke), scored 2.63 goals per game (also second in the ACC behind Duke) and allowed 23 goals (1.18 per game, fifth in the ACC). The 50 goals are the most scored by a Carolina team since the 1995 squad totaled 57.
Among the ACC Leaders (as of Nov. 15)
Chris Carrieri: third in points, tied second in goals, Caleb Norkus: tied eighth in points, tied fifth in goals, Michael Bucy: tied eighth in points, tied first in assists, Noz Yamauchi: tied third in assists, Joey DiSalvo: tied sixth in assists, Michael Ueltschey: fourth in GAA, fifth in saves per game, fifth in save percentage
Tar Heel Honors:
Soccer America Team of the Week: Caleb Norkus (Sept. 20), Chris Carrieri (Nov. 1)
Nike Carolina Classic All-Tournament Team: Michael Bucy, Joey DiSalvo, Caleb Norkus, David Popp
Nike Carolina Classic Team MVP: Michael Bucy
Carrieri Pushing for All-America Honors
Sophomore forward Chris Carrieri has been one of the top players in the ACC and the nation this season. Carrieri leads Carolina with 71 shots, 12 goals and 29 points this fall. He has ranked among the conference leaders in goals and scoring throughout the season. In the latest ACC rankings (as of Nov. 15), Carrieri was tied for second in the conference in goals with 12 and tied for third in points. He was named first -team All-ACC after the regular season.
Jackson Leads the Defense
Sophomore defender Daniel Jackson is the leader of a solid Tar Heel defensive unit that has allowed one goal or less in 13 of 19 games this season. Jackson, a native of West Park, Leeds, England, was named second-team All-ACC this season in a vote of the conference's head coaches.
Norkus Leads Heels in Game-Winners
Junior Caleb Norkus has scored some timely goals this season, leading the Tar Heels in game-winning goals with four. Norkus scored game-winners against Lehigh, Alabama-Birmingham, UNC Asheville and NC State this fall. He ranks second on the team in scoring with 20 points (9g-2a) and second in goals with nine. His nine goals have come on just 34 total shots. His is tied for fifth in the ACC in goals and is eighth in points.
DiSalvo's Leadership
Senior midfielder Joey DiSalvo is the most experienced Carolina player as a four-year starter with 68 career starts. DiSalvo has never missed a game in his UNC career, appearing in 74 games overall. This season, he ranks sixth on the team with 11 points (2g-7a) and third with seven assists. He is tied for sixth in the ACC in assists.
Yamauchi a Playmaker
Sophomore midfielder Noz Yamauchi has made a habit of being around the action on the field for Carolina this season. The Chapel Hill native is second on the team with nine assists (tied for third in the ACC) and is fourth among Tar Heels with 17 points. In a 6-0 win over High Point on Oct. 27, Yamauchi played a role in five of UNC's six goals, tallying two goals and three assists.
Another Winning Season Against Tough Schedule
With a season record of 12-6-1 entering the NCAA Tournament against Furman, Carolina has ensured a .500-or-better record for the 41st time in the last 42 years. The lone losing season in the last 42 years was 1997, when the Tar Heels went 6-13. This remarkable span of success has come despite annually playing in the ACC, regarded as the best soccer conference in the nation. This season, Carolina has played six ranked teams, No. 7 Creighton, No. 16 Virginia, No. 3 Duke, No. 11 Maryland, No. 4 Wake Forest and No. 1 Duke. No. 3 Furman will be the seventh ranked opponent UNC has faced this fall.
