University of North Carolina Athletics
On This Date With the Tar Heels
September 25, 2001 | General
September 20, 1979: First Women's Soccer Game Played
CHAPEL HILL--One of the greatest dynasties in sports began at Fetzer Field when North Carolina defeated Duke in its first intercollegiate women's soccer game.
In the first year women's soccer was recognized as a varsity sport, Carolina swamped the Blue Devils, 12-0. Janet Rayfield and Kelly Haines each scored three goals to lead the assault on the Duke goal.
In addition, Emily Scruggs had five assists. That's still the school single-game record, although it has been matched on a couple of occasions. Scruggs also contributed two goals.
Annie Ballinger, Anne Prosser, Ann Remus and Katie Cornell had the other goals for Carolina. Ballinger also had a pair of assists.
The Tar Heels scored seven goals in the first half in coasting to the victory. Carolina had 29 shots to just one for Duke.
September 19, 1987: Maye, Marriott Lead Comeback at Tech
ATLANTA, Ga.--Quarterback Mark Maye and flanker Randy Marriott led a sensational North Carolina comeback as the Tar Heels rallied for a 30-23 victory over Georgia Tech at Grant Field.
The Yellow Jackets had built a 20-3 halftime lead on two Thomas Palmer field goals, an 11-yard scoring run by Malcolm King and a 17-yard touchdown pass from Rick Strom to Greg Lester. Strom completed 14 of 20 passes in the first half for 163 yards.
Although the Tar Heels actually had 222 yards of total offense to Tech's 207 at the half, the only UNC scoring came on a first-quarter field goal by Kenny Miller. Maye was off target, hitting only seven of 17 passes for 110 yards.
Carolina had never rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to win a game in history.
That Yellow Jacket lead almost increased on the opening series of the third period. Tech drove from its own 25 to the Tar Heel 17 before cornerback Derrick Donald intercepted a Strom pass in the end zone.
But, Tech got the ball back moments later. Maye drove Carolina to the Jacket 26 in just six plays, but a fumbled reception gave Tech the ball back at its own 23.
Strom led his team all the way to a first-and-goal at the UNC one-yard line. But, linebacker Mitch Wike threw King for a one-yard loss and Donald recovered at the two.
Carolina Coach Dick Crum said that was probably the key play in the game.
"We made the wrong cut on the play," explained Tech Coach Bobby Ross. "We were supposed to take it outside and instead went straight over the middle and fumbled."
After two James Thompson runs got the ball out to the seven, Maye hit Marriott on a post pattern down the middle. Marriott never broke stride as he made the catch near midfield and raced into the end zone. The 93-yard pass play was the longest in Tar Heel history.
Tech bounced back on its next possession to get a 52-yard field goal from Palmer and took a 23-10 lead into the final quarter.
Two possessions later, Eric Lewis returned a punt to his own 41. Maye lost one yard on first down, but then completed four straight passes with Lewis scoring on a crossing pattern from 23 yards out.
Down 23-16, the Tar Heels next went 78 yards in six plays to tie the score. Maye completed three of four passes on this drive, hitting Marriott from 25 yards for the tying touchdown. However, two big plays came on the ground when tailback Torin Dorn broke off 18 and 15-yard runs on draw plays.
Two plays after the kickoff, Victor Bullock intercepted a Strom pass and his 19-yard return put Carolina on the Tech 34. Dorn ran 12 yards on first down and three plays later Maye threw an 18-yard TD pass to Marriott for the win.
However, 4:32 still remained and Tech began a lengthy drive from its own 25.The Jackets reached the Carolina 23 in 10 plays. But, safety Norris Davis then batted down one pass, nose guard Carlton Bailey sacked Strom for an eight-yard loss, end John reed followed with an 11-yard sack and a fourth-down desperation pass fell incomplete.
Maye set school records with 420 yards of total offense and 406 yards passing. He completed 16 of his 21 passes in the final two periods. Marriott had a Carolina-record 247 yards on receptions.
September 18, 1982: Duke Routed in Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL--Betsy Johnson and Stephanie Zeh each had two goals and one assist as North Carolina pounded Duke, 11-0, in a women's soccer game at Fetzer Field.
In the first year of an NCAA championship in the sport, the Tar Heels won their second straight game of the season and ran a three-year winning streak to 25 in a row.
In addition to Johnson and Zeh, Carolina also got a pair of goals from Stacy Enos. Senga Allen added a goal and an assist to help pace the Tar Heel scoring.
Other goals were scored by Emily Pickering, Synthia Scott, Dianne Beatty and Beth Huber.
Carolina dominated play, out-shooting the Blue Devils, 38-2.
The game was never in doubt as Coach Anson Dorrance's team scored six first-half goals to basically seal the outcome.
The victory gave the Tar Heels an all-time record of 5-0 against Duke since 1979 when women's soccer became a varsity sport. Carolina has outscored the Blue Devils, 41-0, in those five games.
September 17, 1983: Mark Smith Has Three TD Catches
CHAPEL HILL--Mark Smith tied a school record with three touchdown receptions as North Carolina defeated Miami of Ohio, 48-17, at Kenan Stadium.
Charles Waddell had originally set the record with three against Clemson in 1974. It has since been tied by a number of other players.
Smith finished the day with six receptions for 121 yards. His scoring plays covered 12 yards in the first quarter, 57 in the second and 10 in the third. Scott Stankavage threw the first two and Kevin Anthony had the third. Stankavage also had a 27-yard scoring pass to Larry Griffin.
Carolina rolled up 569 yards of total offense, gaining 337 on the ground and 232 in the air. Stankavage completed nine of 13 passes for 176 yards, while Anthony was five-for-seven for 56 yards.
William Humes, Carolina's number three tailback, ended up as the top rusher with 161 yards on 28 carries. He scored once on a 10-yard run. Ethan Horton had 77 yards on 14 carries and Tyrone Anthony ran 18 times for 67 yards. Anthony also had a three-yard touchdown run.
Brooks Barwick kicked all six extra points and also booted 37 and 29-yard field goals.
Leading only 7-3, Carolina broke the game open with a 24-point second quarter. Tyrone Anthony capped an 88-yard, 16-play drive in the period's opening moments. The other TDs came on the 57-yard pass to Smith and the 27-yard throw to Griffin. Barwick later added his first field goal for a 31-7 halftime lead.
Even with that deficit, Miami continued to compete, gaining 219of its 276 total yards in the second half.
Carolina finished with 28 first downs and, in fact, punted only once--a 52-yarder by Tommy Barnhardt.
September 16, 1972: Vidnovic is Triple Threat in Win at Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md.--The passing, running and punting of quarterback Nick Vidnovic proved to the difference as North Carolina edged Maryland, 31-26, at Byrd Stadium.
Vidnovic ran for one touchdown, passed for another and kept the Terps backed up most of the day with a great punting performance. He ran for 39 yards, passed for 153 and had a45.6 average on six punts.
Carolina needed all that as the Terps got fine play from quarterback Al Neville, two Steve Mike-Mayer field goals and a long punt return for a touchdown by Bob Smith.
Leading only 24-20 in the fourth quarter, Vidnovic directed a 12-play, 80-yard drive that took 5:27 off the clock. The Tar Heels faced only two third-down situations on this march, but converted both. Vidnovic scrambled 23 yards on third-and-10 from his 20 to get the drive going and later hit tight end Andy Chacos for 15 yards on third-and-nine from the Maryland 16. Fullback Dickie Oliver scored on a one-yard plunge two plays later.
The Terps came right back with a 58-yard scoring drive of their own with tight end Don Ratliff catching a 10-yard TD pass from Neville. A two-point conversion failed leaving Maryland down by five points.
Vidnovic then made perhaps the biggest play of the day. With the Tar Heels forced to punt from their own 27-yard line, he got off a booming 73-yard kick. Maryland then had to start its final drive at the Terp 20 with just 1:14 to play. Two long passes got Maryland back to the UNC 45. But, the drive ended there when Ratliff fumbled an eight-yard reception and linebacker Jimmy DeRatt recovered for the Tar Heels.
Carolina had opened the game's scoring on its first possession, going 68 yards in eight plays. Vidnovic, attempting to pass from the Terp five, couldn't find a receiver and broke off the left side for a touchdown.
As a punt was being mishandled on the opening play of the second quarter, All-ACC end Gene Brown broke through to make a jarring tackle and the ball rolled 30 yards downfield to the Maryland 25. The Tar Heels scored in two plays with Vidnovic throwing 24 yards to Ted Leverenz for the touchdown.
Ellis Alexander later added a field goal for the Tar Heels and Mike-Mayer had one for the Terps, giving the Tar Heels a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Maryland tied the score midway in the third quarter on Smith's 72-yard punt return and a 10-yard run by Jamie Franklin.
But, the Tar Heels again took the lead on their next possession. An 80-yard drive was highlighted by a 19-yard pass to Charles Waddell and two third-down completions to Ken Taylor. Vidnovic scored from 18 yards out. Mike-Mayer later added a Maryland field goal setting up the Vidnovic's big plays of the fourth period.
September 15, 1990: Lilly Has Three Goals in Win Over Terps
CHAPEL HILL--Sophomore forward Kristine Lilly scored three goals and North Carolina outshot Maryland, 37-2, in a 5-0 win over the Terps at Fetzer Field.
The win ran the Tar Heels' record to 7-0 for the year and increased their streak to 102 games without a loss. Carolina has gone 96-0-6 since the last game of the 1985 season.
Lilly opened the scoring just 3:17 into the contest. However, that was the only scoring of the first 45 minutes of action.
Jill Jakowich tallied on an assist from Mia Hamm after only 7:43 of the second half. Lilly added goals with 28:48 and 18:00 to play. Carolyn Springer finished the scoring with 14:15 remaining.
The 37-2 advantage in shots is one indication of how much Carolina dominated the game. Another was an 8-1 edge in corner kicks.
September 14, 1989: Field Hockey Team Scores Then-Record 11 Goals
CHAPEL HILL--Senior forward Kathy Staley scored four goals and freshman Imke Lempers added three as North Carolina tried a school record for goals in a game, routing Radford 11-0, at Navy Field.
The Tar Heels had also scored 11 goals against Appalachian State in 1986.
Staley, who was shifted from midfield to forward this year, led an attack that saw Carolina outshoot the Highlanders, 47-1.
After failing to score on several early opportunities, the Tar Heels began their scoring barrage when Staley deflected home a shot by teammate Leslie Lyness with 18:24 remaining in the first half. Lempers and Peggy Anthon then added goals as Carolina took a 3-0 lead at intermission.
Staley scored again after only 1:20 of the second half, had an assist on an Anthon goal less than two minutes later and then added her third score with 21:03 to be played.
In less than two minutes Lempers scored again. Carolina added an amazing four goals in the final four and a half minutes of play.
The win ran the Tar Heel record to 3-0 in a season in which Carolina would win its first NCAA championship in field hockey.
September 13, 1980: Bryant and Taylor Make Big Plays to Beat Texas Tech
LUBBOCK, Tex.--Kelvin Bryant scored the game's only touchdown on a 58-yard pass play and Lawrence Taylor made a key defensive stop as North Carolina edged Texas Tech, 9-3, at Jones Stadium
The winning touchdown came after a sensational one-handed interception by Steve Streater. The Red Raiders had driven 80 yards in eight plays to the UNC 20 before Streater picked off a Ron Reeves pass in the end zone for a touchback.
Quarterback Rod Elkins threw to Jon Richardson for 21 yards and Bryant gained another yard on a one-yard run.
Operating at his own 42, Elkins then hit Bryant in the right flat. Texas Tech was blitzing on the play and Elkins had to scramble from the pocket back toward the line of scrimmage to get the pass away.
Bryant, a sophomore from Tarboro, N.C., cut by the first defender and then split two more. With Bryant's great speed, there was no chance for anyone to catch him from behind.
Mistakes nearly cost Carolina the win in the regionally-televised contest. The Tar Heels drove from their own 20 to the Tech three after the second half kickoff. The big play in this march was a 29-yard run by Amos Lawrence. Bryant apparently scored on a three-yard run, but an illegal procedure penalty nullified the TD. Carolina had to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Jeff Hayes.
That tied the game, 3-3. The Red Raiders had taken the game's opening kickoff 54 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 36-yard field goal.
In addition to the penalty taking away Bryant's touchdown run, Carolina also couldn't convert an extra point attempt due to a bad snap. A 23-yard interception return by Tech's Tate Randle gave the Red Raiders a first down at the UNC 18 with 8:43 in the game.
Tech got a first down inside the 10. But, on third down Taylor made a jarring hit on tailback Greg Tyler, forcing a fumble. Taylor recovered it at the 12 to kill that threat.
A 21-yard punt return by Ted Watts to the Carolina 45 gave Texas Tech a final chance with 1:56 to go. But, linebacker Darrell Nicholson intercepted Reeves on first down and the Tar Heels ran out the clock.
Offensively, it was a frustrating day for Elkins who completed just five of 14 passes for 96 yards. Lawrence was the game's top rusher with 86 yards on 17 carries.
In addition to Taylor, the Tar Heels got great defensive play from Nicholson, Streater, tackle Donnell Thompson, linebacker Lee Shaffer and safety Bill Jackson.
The game was played in intense heat. ABC Sports placed a thermometer on the Astroturf field and got a reading of 125 degrees.
An unusual aspect to this game was it only took two hours and 30 minutes to play, finishing at 3:20. Since it was a regionally-televised game, the announcing crew had to wait until 4 :00 before they could send the audience back to New York. With 40 minutes to fill and only one touchdown scored, announcers had to replay and talk about the Elkins-to-Bryant TD play numerous times, as well as interview players and Coach Dick Crum.
As Al Michaels, who did the play-by-play, said afterwards, "That may have been the most televised touchdown this network has ever shown on one day."
September 12, 1970: Miller, McCauley Spark Win Over Kentucky
CHAPEL HILL--Paul Miller threw a pair of touchdown passes and Don McCauley ran for 160 yards as North Carolina opened its season with a 20-10 victory over Kentucky.
Miller completed just six of nine passes, but gained 141 yards. He threw 41 yards to Lewis Jolley for one score and 48 yards to McCauley for another.
The Wildcats took advantage of Miller's only interception to go 38 yards in seven plays for their only touchdown. Cecil Bowens scored on a five-yard run with 4:03 to go in the first quarter. As his team was celebrating, a Kentucky lineman turned to the Carolina defense and said "Welcome to Southeastern Conference football."
By the end of the afternoon Carolina had 425 yards of total offense to 251 for Kentucky. Only 186 of those yards and nine of its 12 first downs came after the first-quarter touchdown.
McCauley broke off a 20-yard run on UNC's following possession. Three plays later Miller passed to Jolley on the right sideline. With McCauley throwing a devastating block on a Kentucky defensive back, Jolley raced for the tying score with just over a minute left in the period.
Second-quarter field goals by Carolina's Ken Craven and the Wildcats' Bob Jones made it 10-10 at halftime.
After a 10-play drive stalled to begin the third quarter, Craven put Carolina in front with a 44-yard field goal.
On the opening play of the final period, Miller threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to McCauley. The Tar Heel All-America tailback got behind the first wave of defense and then made a great move to elude the last Kentucky safety without being touched for the final score of the day.
McCauley wasn't stopped for negative yardage on any of his 28 carries. He also punted four times for a 40.3 average.
Defensively, the Tar Heels got solid play all day from tackle Flip Ray and linebackers John Bunting and Jim Webster.
However, linebacker Ricky Packard turned in the biggest defensive plays. With six minutes left the Wildcats had a fourth-and-one at the Carolina 44. But, Packard dropped Lee Clymer for a two-yard loss to kill that threat. With three minutes in the game Kentucky faced a fourth-and five at its own 45. A solo tackle by Packard after a short pass to tight end Tom Crowe left the Wildcats inches short of a first down.
The win was Carolina's first on opening day since 1963.
September 11, 1994: Women's Soccer Win Streak Hits 85
DALLAS, Tex.--North Carolina's top-ranked women's soccer team won its 85th consecutive game with a 1-0 victory at SMU.
Sophomore forward Sarah Dacey scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half. Senior midfielder Tisha Venturini, the National Player of the Year, threaded a pass through the SMU defense to Dacey, who scored from seven yards out.
The Tar Heels outshot the Mustangs, 21-10, with Venturini getting six shots on goal. The win gave the team a 4-0 record for the season.
The game marked only the second time in the 85-game winning streak that Carolina scored just one goal and was the first in 70 games. During this remarkable streak the Tar Heels have only had seven games decided by just a single goal.
Carolina has actually played 89 consecutive games without a loss. The last game the Tar Heels did not win was a 2-2 tie with Central Florida in 1990. The last loss was a 3-2 setback to Connecticut on Sept. 22, 1990.
