University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Soccer Game Notes
December 11, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 11, 2001
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No. 7 seed North Carolina (19-4-0)
vs.
No. 3 seed Stanford (19-1-1)
Date & Time: 5 p.m., Friday, December 14, 2001
Site: Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: Saturday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 (delayed broadcast)
Tar Heels Making Second College Cup Appearance in School History
Coming off back-to-back overtime wins, seventh-seeded North Carolina will face third-seeded Stanford on Friday, December 14, in the NCAA Men's College Cup in Columbus, Ohio.
The game will be played at 5 p.m. on Friday evening at Crew Stadium, home of the Columbus Crew of MLS. The Tar Heels are making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and second all-time appearance in the national semifinals (1987 and 2001). UNC is seeking its first NCAA championship and first College Cup victory (Clemson beat UNC, 4-1, in the 1987 semifinals) in men's soccer.
Carolina received a bye in the first round, then defeated Towson (second round), American (third round) and Fairleigh Dickinson (quarterfinal) to advance to the College Cup. Stanford also received a bye before downing Santa Clara, Portland and Saint Louis to reach the natioanl semifinal.
The winner of the UNC-Stanford game will play the winner of Friday night's game between St. John's and Indiana in Sunday's championship game.
Tar Heel Injury Updates
UNC sophomore defensive midfielder Grant Porter suffered a strained groin in the 26th minute of the third-round win over American on Dec. 2 and did not return to the game. He also sat out the quarterfinal win over Fairleigh Dickinson due to the injury. Porter returned to practice this week and is expected to be available for Friday's game with Stanford.
In other injury news for UNC, sophomore midfielder Logan Pause has been suffering from back spasms for the last 10 days. He missed most of practice prior to the Fairleigh Dickinson game and was to be held out of most practices this week. His status for Friday's game will be a game-time decision.
Junior Mike Gell has a mild sprained ankle but is expected to be available on Friday.
UNC Men and Women in 2001 College Cup
For the 10th time in NCAA history, a school's men's and women's soccer teams have both reached the NCAA Final Four in the same season. The Tar Heel women reached the College Cup last weekend, losing 1-0 to Santa Clara in the championship game. Meanwhile, the UNC men have reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and will play Stanford on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
North Carolina has pulled off the men's and women's double twice. The Tar Heels also pulled off the feat in 1987.
Years in which schools have placed both their men's and women's teams in the soccer Final Fours the same year are: Connecticut in 1982, Connecticut in 1983, North Carolina in 1987, Santa Clara in 1989, Virginia in 1991, Duke in 1992, Portland in 1995, Santa Clara in 1998, Santa Clara in 1999 and North Carolina in 2001.
Leitch, Yamauchi Set to Break UNC Record for Games Played
Seniors Chris Leitch and Noz Yamauchi have each played in 86 career games at Carolina, tying the school record set by Ricky Marvin (1978-81) and Steve Dragisics (1984-87).
oth Leitch and Yamauchi have started all 23 Carolina games this season and will set a new school record for career games played if, as expected, they see action against Stanford. Should Leitch be in the starting lineup against the Cardinal, he will tie the school record for most career matches started with 86 (tying Dragisics).
Homecoming for Leitch
The 2001 College Cup will be a homecoming for Tar Heel senior defender Chris Leitch. One of the top marking backs in the nation, Leitch is a native of Baltimore, Ohio. He attended Pickerington High School and was named the Ohio player of the year as a senior in 1997.
Tar Heels Survive Fairleigh Dickinson in 3OT to Reach College Cup
Ryan Kneipper scored two goals in under five minutes in the second half and North Carolina won on an own goal in the third overtime as itcame from behind to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, in three overtimes in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals at Fetzer Field.
On the game's final play, FDU defender Brian Romero headed a cross by UNC's Noz Yamauchi, deflecting the ball into the net to give Carolina the sudden victory in the sixth minute of the third overtime.
The Tar Heels outshot FDU by a 43-6 margin, dominating possession of the ball. The 43 shots are a UNC record for an NCAA Tournament game. Carolina nearly had the game won in regulation before the Knights tied the score with 31 seconds to play on a penalty kick after a UNC handball in the box.
Fairleigh Dickinson opened the scoring in the 20th minute. UNC defender Danny Jackson tried to clear the ball, but the Knights' Aaron Paye deflected the attempted clear into the goal past Carolina keeper Michael Ueltschey for a 1-0 lead. The goal was the first the Tar Heels had given up in three NCAA Tournament games.
The Tar Heels picked up the intensity in the second half, maintaining possession in the FDU half of the field for almost the entire 45 minutes after halftime. The Knights, with their 1-0 lead, packed as many defenders in front of the goal as possible to try to thwart the UNC rally.
Finally, with less than 20 minutes left to play, the Tar Heels broke through. Kneipper scored his 12th goal of the season at the 72:19 mark, heading in a long pass from Ray Fumo to tie the score at 1-1 with under 20 minutes to play. Kneipper scored again, his team-leading 13th goal of the season, less than five minutes later. Kneipper again scored on a header off a long cross, this time on a pass from Mike Gell.
FDU tied the game and forced overtime with just 31 seconds to play. Paye was battling UNC defender David Stokes in the Carolina box when Stokes slipped and fell to the ground. As he fell, Stokes' arm landed on the ball, resulting in a penalty kick. Dirceu Hurtado got the ball by Ueltschey to tie the score and force the extra periods.
Carolina Tops American in OT in NCAA Third Round
Mike Gell scored 4:12 into the first overtime period off an assist from David Testo as the University of North Carolina men's defeated American University, 1-0, in overtime of the NCAA Tournament third round game at Fetzer Field on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Tar Heels advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in school history and second year in a row.
At the 70:19 mark, Carolina had its best scoring opportunity of regulation. After a hand ball by American's Bob Brennan in the box, Gell's penalty kick was saved by AU keeper Michael Behonick. Gell also just missed two shots in the first half from point-blank range. The first shot was knocked away by a defender and his second shot was saved by Behonick.
Michael Ueltschey posted the shutout in goal for Carolina. He now has 12.6 shutouts this season and 29.1 for his career, both of which are school records. The shutout was Carolina's 13th as a team this season, breaking the school record of 12 set in 1980.
Carolina Swarms Past Towson, 3-0, in NCAA Tournament Second Round
North Carolina got two goals and an assist from Ryan Kneipper and shutout Towson, 3-0, on Nov. 25 in NCAA Tournament second-round action at a soggy Fetzer Field. Kneipper played a role in all three Carolina goals, posting his third multi-goal game of the season.
Defender Chris Leitch scored Carolina's other goal off a Kneipper assist. Grant Porter and David Stokes had assists for UNC. The shutout was Carolina's 12th as a team this season, tying the school record set in 1980.
UNC Enters NCAA Tournament as No. 7 Seed
For the third consecutive year and 10th time in school history, the University of North Carolina men's soccer team has earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Carolina, which is seeded seventh, had a bye in the first round and defeated Towson in the second round.
Carolina reached the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and earned one of 28 at-large bids in the 48-team 2001 NCAA Tournament field. This year's bracket is the largest field in the history of the Division I men's soccer tournament, since expansion of the bracket from 32 to 48 teams last summer. The teams will be playing for the right to compete at the 2001 NCAA Men's College Cup on Dec. 14 and 16 in Columbus, Ohio, at Columbus Crew Stadium.
Carolina was one of five ACC teams to earn bids, joining No. 2 seed Virginia, No. 5 seed Clemson, Wake Forest and Maryland.
"Getting a seed was our goal," Carolina head coach Elmar Bolowich said shortly after the bracket announcement. "With the way our season ended, we wanted to get the first-round bye and play on our home field. We feel pretty good about that."
olowich now has led Carolina to seven NCAA Tournament appearances - in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000 and 2001. This marks the second year in a row in which Carolina has hosted an NCAA Tournament game. Previously, UNC hadn't hosted an NCAA Tournament game since 1994.
Carolina in the NCAA Tournament for Third Year in a Row - for the First Time Ever
Carolina is making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, marking the first time in UNC men's soccer history that the Tar Heels have reached the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. Overall, it is Carolina's 10th NCAA Tournament appearance (1968-87-88-90-91-93-94-99-2000-2001).
The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 12-9-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina vs. Stanford
Carolina and Stanford have never met in men's soccer prior to this Friday's game.
2001 ACC Tournament Rewind: Carolina Reaches Semifinals
Carolina was seeded second and reached the semifinals of the always-competitive ACC Tournament last weekend in Clemson, S.C.
The Tar Heels shutout seventh-seeded NC State, 2-0, in the quarterfinals as Marcus Storey and David Testo scored for Carolina.
In Friday night's semifinal against third-seeded Clemson on its home field, UNC dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the No. 9-ranked Tigers.
Carolina has reached the semifinals in each of the last three ACC Tournaments (winning the 2000 championship), marking just the second time in program history that Caroliina has made three semifinal appearances in a row (1991-92-93).
Recapping UNC's 2000 NCAA Tournament Run
In 2000, the University of North Carolina men's soccer team (21-3, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) shared the ACC regular-season championship, won the second ACC Tournament title in the program's history and reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the second time in school annals. Along the way, Carolina was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season and won 15 games in a row, the longest winning streak in school history.
Jackson Leads Four Tar Heel All-ACC Selections
Danny Jackson (West Park, Leeds, England) was named first-team All-ACC in a vote of the conference's head coaches, the ACC announced on Nov. 14. Jackson was named to the first team for the second consecutive year and was a second-team choice as a sophomore in 1999. The leader of the Tar Heel defense, Jackson has served as Carolina's co-captain for the last three seasons.
Three Tar Heels earned second-team All-ACC honors - senior defender Chris Leitch (Baltimore, Ohio), junior forward Ryan Kneipper (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore midfielder Logan Pause (Hillsborough, N.C.).
Leitch is an excellent on-the-ball defender who serves as one of Carolina's co-captains along with Jackson. Leitch is Carolina's most experienced player (in games played). Kneipper leads UNC with 13 goals and 32 points entering the Stanford game. He is second in the ACC in goals and points.
Pause was expected to miss the entire 2001 season after undergoing knee surgery in the summer but returned to the field less than halfway through the season. In his first game back on the field, he scored the game-winner in the 1-0 win over Duke. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Oct. 21 win at NC State and the Nov. 3 win over Clemson. Pause is tied for the Carolina lead with three game-winning goals this season.
Storey Named ACC Rookie of the Year
Freshman forward Marcus Storey (Missouri City, Texas) was named the ACC Rookie of the Year at the annual conference banquet prior to the ACC Tournament.
The speedy striker is tied for second on the Carolina squad with 26 points, is third on the team with nine goals and second with eight assists. On Oct. 12, Storey recorded the first multi-goal game of his career, tallying a hat trick in UNC's 7-0 win over Georgia State.
Storey is tied for fifth in the ACC with 26 points and nine goals.
He is Carolina's fourth ACC Rookie of the Year in the 12-year history of the award, joining Temoc Suarez (1993), Carey Talley (1994) and Chris Carrieri (1998).
Balanced Offensive Attack
The Tar Heels' offensive unit was one of the best in the nation last year, but lost 78 percent of its goals and 56 percent of its assists with the departures of Chris Carrieri (25 goals, 14 assists), Caleb Norkus (15 goals, 13 assists) and Michael Bucy (nine goals, 15 assists) to graduation and professional soccer.
Head coach Elmar Bolowich wasn't quite sure what to expect from this season's revamped offense, but UNC has remained among the nation's top scoring teams this fall.
An offensive unit that includes freshman Marcus Storey (9 goals, 8 assists), junior transfer David Testo (10 goals, 6 assists) and former reserves Ryan Kneipper (13 goals, 6 assists), Mike Gell (6 goals, 4 assists) and Sean McGinty (4 goals, 1 assist) has combined for 42 goals and 25 assists this season. While they haven't matched the 49 goals and 42 assists compiled by Carrieri, Norkus and Bucy last year, the 2001 Tar Heels are tied for sixth in the nation in scoring offense in the latest NCAA statistics.
Most Wins in a Two-Year Span in Carolina History
Over the last two seasons, Carolina has a record of 40-7-0, setting a new school record for most wins in a two-year period. The old record was 34 wins (and an overall record of 34-14-1) in 1986-87.
Carolina's 21 wins in 2000 were the most in school history, eclipsing the previous record of 20 wins in 1987.
Ueltschey Breaks A Pair School Shutout Records
Senior goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey (Jackson, Miss.) broke the school record for career shutouts on Nov. 3 when he shutout sixth-ranked Clemson, 1-0, in Chapel Hill. He has 29.1 shutouts in his career, snapping the previous record of 25.0 set by Kevin Kane (1977-80) and Watson Jennison (1989-92).
A season ago, Ueltschey led the ACC and was 10th in the nation with a 0.77 goals-against average. He also led the ACC with nine shutouts and a save percentage of 0.807.
This season, Ueltschey may be playing even better. He has taken on more of a leadership role in the goal and has allowed just 0.73 goals per game against a schedule that has included eight nationally-ranked opponents.
Ueltschey has posted 12.6 shutouts so far this season. The old record was 11, set by Kevin Kane in 1980 and Watson Jennison in 1991.
Carolina Posts First Back-to-Back Winning ACC Records Since 1979-80
With Carolina's 1-0 over Clemson on Nov. 3, the Tar Heels finished the 2001 ACC season with a record of 4-2. Since UNC was 5-1 in the ACC last season, the Tar Heels have secured its second consecutive winning record in the ACC. The last time Carolina had back-to-back winning records in conference play was in 1979 (3-1-1) and 1980 (3-2-1).
The nine ACC wins in a two-year span are the most in any two-year period in school history. The 5-1 record in 2000 was UNC's first winning season in ACC play since 1980.
Tar Heels Peaking in the Second Half of the 2001 Season
Since a Sept. 22 loss at Virginia, Carolina has won 15 of 17 games and outscored its opponents, 45-10. During that 17-game stretch, the Tar Heels have posted 12 shutouts. Carolina lost on Oct. 27 at Wake Forest, but had won nine in a row before that loss. The other loss was to Clemson in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Last year, the Tar Heels set a school record by winning 15 games in a row, earning a No. 1 ranking in the nation along the way.
Overall, Carolina has won 33 of its last 38 games.
In The Final Regular-Season National Rankings
In the final regular-season national polls, Carolina was ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA coaches' poll and No. 9 in the Soccer America poll. Stanford was ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
Kneipper Becoming a Dominant Scorer
Junior forward Ryan Kneipper (Dallas, Texas) has proven himself to be one of Carolina's most opportunistic players. Despite starting less than half of UNC's games this season (including the last 10 contests), he leads the team with 13 goals and 32 points. He was named second-team All-ACC on Nov. 14. He is second in the ACC in goals and points.
Kneipper scored two second-half goals, both on headers, in the 3-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA quarterfinals on Dec. 8. Two weeks earlier, played a role in all three Carolina goals in the 3-0 win over Towson in the NCAA second round on Nov. 25, finishing with two goals and an assist.
Kneipper has six career goals in NCAA Tournament competition, most in school history. He scored some of the biggest goals of the 2000 season for Carolina, including the overtime game-winner in the NCAA Tournament first round over William & Mary and a goal in the NCAA second-round victory over Rhode Island.
Bolowich Nearing UNC's Coaching Victory Record
Carolina head coach Elmar Bolowich earned his 150th career win on Oct. 12 against Georgia State at the adidas/Spartan Classic in Greensboro, N.C. Bolowich has 160 wins entering the game versus Stanford and is on pace to break the record next season.
Now in his 13th season as the head coach of the Tar Heels, Bolowich has molded the Carolina program into a national power in the last several years. He is the third-winningest coach in school history, behind Marvin Allen (174 victories) and Anson Dorrance (172).
Last season, the Tar Heels were the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and boasted one of the nation's top offensive units. The 2001 Tar Heels were expected to be a more defensively-oriented unit, but its offense has come together at midseason.
Yamauchi Sets Career High in Assists
Senior midfielder Noz Yamuachi (Chapel Hill, N.C.) has been one of the ACC's best playmakers for the last several years, and he may be having his best season yet in 2001. Yamauchi leads Carolina and is second the ACC with 11 assists this season. That is a career high, eclipsing his previous record of nine set as a sophomore in 1999.
Pause's Early Comeback Paying Dividends for Tar Heels
Sophomore midfielder Logan Pause (Hillsborough, N.C.) was expected to miss the entire 2001 season after tearing the miniscus in his left knee and undergoing surgery over the summer.
Pause began practicing at full speed on Sept. 26 and returned to the field less than halfway through the season, seeing his first action in the Sept. 29 win over Duke. In his first game back on the field, he scored the game-winner in the 1-0 win over the Blue Devils. The next week against Maryland, Pause had the assist on the game-winning goal by Chris Leitch. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Oct. 21 win at NC State and the Nov. 3 win over Clemson.
Pause is tied for the Carolina lead with three game-winning goals this season. He was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week and to Soccer America's 11-man Team of the Week on Oct. 1. He was named second-team All-ACC on Nov. 14.
Since Pause's return to the field versus Duke, Carolina has gone 14-2.
McGinty Named to Soccer America's Team of the Week for Sept. 10-16
Sophomore forward Sean McGinty (Charlotte, N.C.) scored both UNC goals in the win over UNC Greensboro on Sept. 16 and was named to Soccer America's 11-man Team of the Week on Sept. 18.
Tar Heel Defense Trying to Repeat Last Year's Success
Carolina returns all four members of last year's defensive unit, which led the ACC with 0.75 goals allowed per game in 2000. Starting goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey (a senior) and starting defenders Danny Jackson (senior), Chris Leitch (senior) and David Stokes (sophomore) all played virtually every minute of every game last year.
Ueltschey led the ACC in shutouts, goals against average and save percentage in 2000 and has again been impressive this season, becoming a vocal leader in the back for UNC. Jackson was named a second-team All-America in 2000 and looks to earn first-team honors this year as Carolina's central defender. Leitch and Stokes are both superb on-the-ball defenders who also could merit All-America consideration.
UNC has allowed just 17 goals in 23 games this season (0.73 per game, 12th in the nation). That is Carolina's best goals-against average since setting the school record of 0.597 in 1978 (12 goals in 19 matches).
