University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Men's Soccer Picked Fourth by Atlantic Coast Conference Coaches
August 6, 2003 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 6, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of North Carolina men's soccer team has been selected to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference by a vote of the league's seven head coaches in the 2003 Preseason ACC Men's Soccer Poll. The Tar Heels, who placed third in the conference a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, tallied 28 points in the voting.
Defending ACC champion Maryland is picked to finish first with 48 points in preseason balloting, while Wake Forest (40 points) and Virginia (30) round out the top three. The Terrapins, who were 20-5 a year ago, advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Soccer College Cup. Completing the poll in order are Clemson (26), Duke (17) and NC State (7).
Carolina returns six starters from last year's squad, led by senior co-captains Sean McGinty and Grant Porter. Junior Marcus Storey (8 goals, 4 assists) is the team's top returning scorer, while sophomore Ford Williams, who posted five shutouts and a 0.90 goals against average, returns in goal. Other returning starters include junior midfielder Ray Fumo and junior defender/midfielder Tim Merritt.
The Tar Heels, who welcome 16 newcomers into the program this season, are faced with replacing four All-ACC performers -- Matt Crawford, Ryan Kneipper, Logan Pause and David Testo, as well as standout defender David Stokes. Kneipper graduated as the fifth-leading scorer in program history, while Crawford set a single-season school record with 16 assists in 2002.
This 2003 Tar Heels open the season at the Wake Forest Nike Classic (Aug. 29-30) against national powers St. John's and Connecticut on back-to-back days. UNC opens its home slate against Michigan on Sept. 12 at the Nike Carolina Classic, followed by a Sept. 14 meeting with Virginia Commonwealth in the same event. The Tar Heels open conference play at Virginia on Sept. 20.
Considered by many to be one of the top soccer conferences in the nation, the ACC has captured 10 national championships in men's soccer, including Carolina's 2001 title, over the last 19 years. Below is a listing of the preseason coaches' poll with 2002 records and regular season finishes.
2003 PRESEASON ACC MEN'S SOCCER POLL
School Points 2002 Record/Finish
1. Maryland 48 20-5, 4-2 ACC/2nd
2. Wake Forest 40 15-2-4, 4-0-2 ACC/1st
3. Virginia 30 15-7, 3-3 ACC/4th
4. North Carolina 28 14-7-1, 3-2-1 ACC/3rd
5. Clemson 26 14-5-3, 2-3-1 ACC/6th
6. Duke 17 11-8-1, 3-3 ACC/5th
7. NC State 7 5-14, 0-6 ACC/7th
