University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 18 Men's Soccer Hosts South Carolina Saturday
November 3, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 3, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina men's soccer team will play its final regular-season game of the 1999 season this weekend when it hosts South Carolina Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. Carolina is fresh off a thrilling tie at No. 4 Wake Forest last Saturday. With UNC trailing, 1-0, sophomore Chris Carrieri scored a goal with 0:07 remaining in regulation to force overtime. Both teams went scoreless in the extra periods and Carolina earned a 1-1 tie.
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 18 in this week's NSCAA poll, No. 20 in the Soccer America poll and No. 15 in the Soccer Times poll.
Carolina is led offensively by sophomore forward Chris Carrieri, who leads the Tar Heels in scoring with 27 points (11g-5a) this season. Juniors Caleb Norkus (9g-1a) and Michael Bucy (5g-9a) are tied for second on the team in scoring with 19 points. Sophomore midfielder Noz Yamauchi is fourth on the team with 17 points (4g-9a). All four are among the top 10 scorers in the ACC.
The Tar Heels' strong young defensive corps has allowed 16 goals in 16 games and sophomore goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey ranks second in the ACC with a 0.73 goals-against average. UNC is 9-2-1 this year in games 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. 1), Carolina ranked second in the ACC in scoring offense (2.94 gpg) and fourth in scoring defense (0.98 gpg).
Tar Heels on a Hot Streak
Carolina is unbeaten in its last five games, going 4-0-1 in the process. UNC won four straight games, including three by shutout, during a 10-day span. 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. Carolina battled to earn a 1-1 tie at No. 4 Wake Forest on Oct. 30.
UNC has gone 5-1-1 in its last seven games, losing only to No. 11 Maryland by a 1-0 score on Oct. 9 during the stretch. Carolina has ouscored its opponents, 26-5 during the six-game span.
The Series with the Gamecocks
The all-time series between North Carolina and South Carolina is tied, 9-9-1, with South Carolina having won the last five matchups between the two schools. The last two contests were Gamecock overtime victories, including a 2-1 win in last year's regular-season finale. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 4-6 in 10 career games against the Gamecocks.
In the National Rankings
In this week's national rankings, Carolina is ranked No. 18 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, No. 20 by Soccer America and No. 15 by Soccer Times (as of Nov. 1). This season, Carolina has been ranked as high as No. 12 by the NSCAA 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, 47-16, taken nearly twice the number of shots (261 to 131) as its opponents and allowed one goal or less in 11 of 16 games this year.
Fast Facts
The Heels have gotten off to quick starts often this year, outscoring their opponents, 22-10, in the first half in 1999 ... The Tar Heels are 6-2-0 at home, 4-2-1 away and 1-0-0 at neutral sites ... Carolina is 8-0-0 when leading at halftime, 1-1-0 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 119-82-13, all at UNC. Bolowich has led the Tar Heels to four NCAA appearances.
Among the ACC Leaders (as of Nov. 1)
Chris Carrieri: third in points, second in goals, Caleb Norkus: tied sixth in points, fourth in goals, Michael Bucy: tied sixth in points, tied first in assists, Noz Yamauchi: tied ninth in points, tied first in assists, Joey DiSalvo: tied eighth in assists, Michael Ueltschey: second in GAA, sixth in saves per game, fourth 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 60 shots, 11 goals and 27 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. 1), Carrieri was second in the conference in goals and third in points.
Carolina Continuing Its Resurgence in the ACC
Carolina has equalled its 1998 win total and has already won more games this season than it did in either 1996 or 1997, 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 47 goals this season (2.94 per game, second in the ACC) and allowed 16 (1.00 per game). The 47 goals are the most scored by a Carolina team since the 1995 squad totaled 57.
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 tied for the team lead with nine assists (tied for first 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 11-4-1 entering the regular-season finale against South Carolina, 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 five ranked teams, No. 7 Creighton, No. 16 Virginia, No. 3 Duke, No. 11 Maryland and No. 4 Wake Forest.
