University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Soccer To Face No. 4 Seed Clemson In Opening Round Of ACC Tournament
November 9, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 9, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina men's soccer team will open play at the 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament against Clemson Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at Spry Soccer Stadium in Winson-Salem, N.C. Carolina (11-5-1, 2-3-1 ACC) is the No. 5 seed in the tournament, Clemson (9-7-2, 2-2-2 ACC) is the No. 4 seed.
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 24 in this week's Soccer Times poll (Nov. 7).
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) is second on the team with 20 points and junior Michael Bucy (5g-9a) is third 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 19 goals in 17 games and sophomore goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey ranks fourth in the ACC with a 0.90 goals-against average. UNC is 9-3-1 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. 8), Carolina ranked second in the ACC in scoring offense (2.88 gpg) and fourth in scoring defense (1.10 gpg).
The Series with the Tigers
Carolina broke a seven-game losing streak against Clemson with its 2-1 win over the Tigers in Chapel Hill on Sept. 11. The Tar Heels and Tigers have faced each other in five previous ACC Tournaments with Carolina having won three of those games. UNC defeated Clemson in their first three ACC Tournament meetings, in 1987, 1988 and 1991, while the Tigers defeated Carolina in 1993 and 1995.
UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 4-8-2 in 14 career games against the Tigers, including a 1-2 mark in the ACC Tournament.
In the National Rankings
In this week's national rankings, Carolina is ranked No. 24 by Soccer Times (as of Nov. 8). 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.
Carolina in the ACC Tournament
Carolina is 8-11-1 in 12 previous ACC Tournament appearances and have lost six of its last seven ACC Tournament games entering Thursday's matchup with Clemson. UNC has advanced to the semifinals six times (1987-88-91-92-93-95) and to the finals twice (1987-88). The Tar Heels won the inaugural ACC Tournament in 1987. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 3-10-1 in ACC Tournament games, including a 1-2 record versus Clemson.
Carolina's All-ACC Tournament Selections
| Year | Player(s) |
| 1987 | Derek Missimo*, David Smyth, Dino Megaloudis, Marc Buffin |
| 1991 | Adam Tinkham, Ben DiMeo |
| 1992 | Gregg Berhalter |
| 1993 | Hector Suarez, Temoc Suarez |
| 1995 | Temoc Suarez |
*ACC Tournament MVP
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, 23-10, in the first half in 1999 ... The Tar Heels are 6-3-0 at home, 4-2-1 away and 1-0-0 at neutral sites ... Carolina is 8-1-0 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 119-83-13, all at UNC. Bolowich has led the Tar Heels to four NCAA appearances.
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 49 goals this season (*****2.94 per game, second in the ACC) and allowed 19 (1.12 per game). The 49 goals are the most scored by a Carolina team since the 1995 squad totaled 57.
Among the ACC Leaders (as of Nov. 8)
Chris Carrieri: third in points, tied second in goals, Caleb Norkus: seventh in points, tied fourth in goals, Michael Bucy: seventh in points, tied first in assists, Noz Yamauchi: tied 10th in points, tied first in assists, Joey DiSalvo: tied sixth in assists, Michael Ueltschey: fourth in GAA, sixth 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 67 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. 8), Carrieri was tied for second in the conference in goals with 12 and third in points.
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 32 total shots. His is tied for fourth in the ACC in goals and is seventh in points.
DiSalvo's Leadership
Senior midfielder Joey DiSalvo is the most experienced Carolina player as a four-year starter with 66 career starts. DiSalvo has never missed a game in his UNC career, appearing in 75 games overall. This season, he ranks fifth on the team with 11 points (2g-7a) and third with seven 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 tied for the team lead with nine assists (tied for first in the ACC) and is fourth among Tar Heels (and tied for 10th in the ACC) 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 11-5-1 entering the ACC Tournament against Clemson, 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.
Carolina Soccer on the Web
Want to know more about Carolina men's soccer or any other Tar Heel sport? Check out tarheelblue.com, the official internet site of the UNC Athletic Department.
