University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Enter ACC Tournament on a Hot Streak
November 14, 2002 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 14, 2002
Tar Heels to Face Clemson in ACC Tournament Quarters
The North Carolina men's soccer team will face Clemson in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Thursday night at 8 p.m. The Tar Heels, seeded third in the tournament with a conference record of 3-2-1, will play the sixth-seeded Tigers (2-3-1 ACC) in the third of Thursday's three opening-round games at SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C.
The game marks the second time in 11 days that Carolina and Clemson have met in men's soccer. On Nov. 3, the Tar Heels scored three second-half goals to come from behind and win at Clemson, 3-1, in the final regular-season ACC game of 2002 for both schools. Mike Gell, David Testo and Ryan Kneipper scored for Carolina in the victory.
Thursday's game will also be the third time in the last four years that UNC and Clemson have played each other in the ACC Tournament. Last year, the Tigers won a 2-1 decision over the Tar Heels in the ACC semifinals at Riggs Field in Clemson. In 1999, Carolina beat Clemson, 1-0 in overtime, on a goal by Matt Laycock in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The winner of Thursday night's game will advance to Friday night's semifinals against the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 7 seed NC State.
Wake Forest, ranked No. 1 in the nation, is the top seed with an ACC record of 4-0-2. Maryland (4-2-0) is the No. 2 seed, followed by UNC (3-2-1), No. 4 seed Virginia (3-3-0), No. 5 seed Duke (3-3-0), No. 6 seed Clemson (2-3-1) and No. 7 seed NC State (0-6-0).
Tar Heels Peaking at the Right Time?
After some midseason inconsistency, the Tar Heels are playing as well as any team in the ACC entering the conference tournament.
Carolina lost three of five games from Sept. 28-Oct. 12 but has gone 6-0-1 in its last seven games, including a tie with No. 1-ranked Wake Forest in Chapel Hill on Oct. 26, a 3-1 win at No. 6 Clemson on Nov. 3 and a 2-0 win over No. 24 South Carolina on Nov. 8 in Chapel Hill.
Carolina vs. Clemson
Clemson leads the all-time series with Carolina, 23-15-6, but the Tar Heels have beaten the Tigers in five of the last six meetings. One of those Tar Heel wins was a 3-1 win at Clemson just 11 days ago - on Nov. 3 at Riggs Field. Carolina scored three second-half goals in that come-from-behind win after trailing 1-0 at halftime.
Clemson beat UNC, 2-1, in the semifinals of the 2001 ACC Tournament (played at Riggs Field in Clemson). Prior to that Tiger win, the Tar Heels had beaten Clemson four straight times - in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 regular seasons and in the 1999 ACC Tournament first round. Prior to that four-game Carolina winning streak, Clemson had beaten the Tar Heels seven times in row from 1993-98.
UNC has beaten Clemson in each of their last four regular-season meetings.
Carolina in the ACC Tournament
Carolina is 12-13-1 (.481) in 15 previous ACC Tournament appearances. Carolina has made nine appearances in the semifinals (1987-88-91-92-93-95-99-2000-2001), including each of the last three years.
The Tar Heels have advanced to the finals three times (1987-88-2000), winning the ACC Tournament in 1987 and 2000. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 7-12-1 in ACC Tournament games and coached Carolina to the 2000 ACC championship.
Starting Goalkeeper Williams Will Miss ACC Tournament
Freshman Ford Williams has been the backup goalkeeper with the United States Under-20 Men's National Team, and has been in Charleston, S.C., since Nov. 4 training with the squad. The U.S. U-20 National Team faced Haiti on Nov. 13 and will play El Salvador (Nov. 15) and Cananda (Nov. 17) in the CONCACAF Under-20 Group B qualifying tournament in Charleston, S.C.
The U.S. is attempting to qualify for a fourth straight FIFA World Youth Championship for the first time. The top two finishers in Charleston will advance to the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates from March 25-Apr. 16, 2003.
Williams returned to Chapel Hill to play in UNC's 2-0 win over South Carolina (Nov. 8) and posted his fourth shutout of the season. Williams then returned to Charleston. After complaining of feeling drained and dizzy following the U-20 team's practice on Nov. 10, he was hospitalized for three nights in South Carolina, undergoing extensive precautionary cardiac exams.
Williams has been given a clean bill of health but will not be able to participate in full matches for another week after undergoing a number of exhaustive tests. As such, he has been replaced on the U-20 team by Clint Baumstark. Williams will stay with the team in Charleston through the end of the tournament before returning to Chapel Hill.
Junior Jay Batt will start in goal for the Tar Heels this weekend. Batt has started three games this season, with UNC going 3-0 in those starts. Williams is expected to be available to play for the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament.
