University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Meets Wake Forest In Key ACC Battle
October 21, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2005
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 10 North Carolina (10-3-1, 1-3-1 ACC) hopes to put an end to a three-match Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak Saturday when it travels to No. 17 Wake Forest (9-3-2, 1-2-2 ACC) for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Spry Stadium. This match is key in the ACC standings, as the Deacons are currently in sixth place, while the Tar Heels stand seventh. Both teams are coming off key midweek victories, as Carolina topped William & Mary Tuesday, and Wake followed with a win over Appalachian State Wednesday.
CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• North Carolina is 10-3-1 on the season and has already matched last season's win total. UNC's 8-1-1 record after 10 games was its best opening since the College Cup squad of 1987 started 9-1-0.
• The Tar Heels are in the midst of a four-game road swing and are 1-1 after two matches. Carolina's win over William & Mary Tuesday was its first on the road since a win at VCU to open the season Sept. 2.
• Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell has started all 14 games and has a team-best seven goals and 18 points. Seventeen of Carolina's 24 goals this season have been scored by players that were not on last season's roster.
• Carolina has allowed just 13 goals this season, but six have come over the last two matches. The Tar Heels have scored nine of their 24 goals over the last three games.
• Carolina is building a strong NCAA Tournament resume thanks to a 4-2 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The Tar Heels are in search of a school-record seventh straight postseason bid.
• The Tar Heels return seven starters and 17 letterwinners from last year's team that went 10-9-2 and tied for third in the ACC with a 4-3-0 league mark.
SCOUTING THE DEACONS
No. 17 Wake Forest enters Saturday's match coming off a 3-1 win over Appalachian State Wednesday. The Demon Deacons have a balanced scoring attack with five players with double-digit point totals. Junior forward Mark Ellington leads the way with eight goals on the season. Wake has outscored its opponents, 30-12. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Edwards has played all but 23 minutes in goal this season and owns a 0.85 goals against average.
SERIES WITH WAKE FOREST
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Wake Forest, which began in 1980, 18-6-5. However, Carolina has not defeated the Deacs since the 2000 ACC Tournament, which was held at Spry Stadium. Since sweeping Wake that season, the Tar Heels are 0-3-1 versus the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest has outscored North Carolina, 6-0, over the last two seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 3, WILLIAM 7 MARY 2
Freshman Brian Shriver scored for the third straight game, and junior Ben Hunter and freshman Scott Campbell also found the back of the net in the first 25 minutes of play to lead North Carolina to a 3-2 win over William & Mary Tuesday at Albert-Daly Field. The Tar Heels are now a perfect 9-0-0 against non-conference opponents this year and 9-1-0 all-time against the Tribe. Campbell's unassisted goal at 24:55 proved to be the game-winner, as William & Mary also added a pair of first half goals. All five goals came in the first 39 minutes of play, and defense took over in the second half as neither managed to score after intermission.
CAMPBELL LEADS OFFENSIVE CHARTS
Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell leads the Tar Heels with 18 points on seven goals and four assists through 12 games this season. The Plantation, Fla., has scored in five of the last eight matches. His 18 points are the most by a Carolina freshman since Marcus Storey had 26 points (nine goals, eight assists) to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2001. Campbell's 18 points also match the most of any player last season. Four of his goals have been game-winners against Clemson, Old Dominion, South Carolina and William & Mary. Campbell has scored a goal and tallied an assist on three different occasions this season. Campbell and Dax McCarty have accounted for 26 of the Tar Heels 70 points this season to provide quite a scoring punch from the attacking midfield position.
SHRIVER ON SCORING STREAK
Freshman forward Brian Shriver is tied for third on the team with four goals, three of which have come over the last three games. The Clearwater, Fla., native joins Corey Ashe as the only Tar Heels to score in three straight outings this season. Ashe scored three straight from Sept. 4-11.
ROAD WINS TOUGH TO FIND IN ACC
Playing in the toughest conference in America, the Tar Heels are in search of their first ACC road victory of the season. But since going unbeaten on the road in conference play in 2000, the Tar Heels have won just four conference road games over the past four-plus seasons. This stretch includes the 2001 national championship team, which won just once on the road in league play. Carolina won its final two ACC road games a year ago over Clemson and Virginia Tech and has tied NC State and lost at Virginia and Maryland this season. Virginia (2-1-0) is the only ACC team to win more than once away from home so far this season, and only five of the nine schools in the league have won on the road thus far.
TAR HEELS BOAST TOP-NOTCH "D"
A trademark of Carolina soccer under Elmar Bolowich has been a stout defense, and this season is no different. The Tar Heels have allowed just 13 goals this season and have seven shutouts, the most since the 2003 squad notched 10. Carolina had allowed just seven goals through 12 matches, but has given up six goals in the last two games.
RECENT LINEUP SHUFFLES
After playing with a very consistent lineup for much of the early season, Carolina head coach Elmar Bolowich has shuffled things for two of the last three games. Junior goalkeeper Justin Hughes made his first start of the season against Longwood and also went the distance in the win over William & Mary. Freshman forward Brian Shriver has started two of the last three games and has scored in three straight. Rookie Tim Evans made his first career start against the Tribe in place of Andre Sherard, who received a red card in the loss at Maryland. Junior Wes Shull has also worked his way back into the rotation and has played in the last three games.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
After scoring just 15 goals through the first 11 matches, the Tar Heel offense has picked up lately to the tune of nine goals in the last three games, an average of three per outing. Carolina scored five in the win over Longwood for its highest total since 2003. After notching one at Maryland, the Tar Heels scored three at William & Mary. Carolina has scored three or more goals just three times this season, with two coming in the last three games.
TV TIME FOR TAR HEELS
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Fox Soccer Channel and 12 Division I men's soccer programs - including North Carolina - have reached an agreement to broadcast a "College Soccer Game of the Week" on Friday nights this fall The Tar Heels were on at Maryland Oct. 14 and are scheduled to be carried at home versus Duke Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The Fox Soccer Channel is channel 144 on Time Warner Digital Cable in the Triangle area.
SCORING STARTS WITH MCCARTY
Sophomore Dax McCarty has been outstanding in the midfield this season, providing seamless transition from defense to offense for the Tar Heels. The Winter Park, Fla., product has shown steady ball control and shares the team lead with four assists. He also takes a majority of Carolina's corner kicks and free kicks and nailed the game-winning goal off a free kick in the Tar Heels overtime win over Elon Oct. 4. McCarty's other goal this season was the winner at VCU in the season opener. His eight points are good for third on the team.
HUNTER SCORES IN BUNCHES
Junior transfer Ben Hunter is second on the team with 14 points on five goals and four assists, but his goals have come in bunches. The Doncaster, England, native scored twice in the 2-2 tie at NC State Sept. 14 and followed nearly a month later with two goals in the Oct. 11 win over Longwood. Hunter added a goal versus William & Mary Tuesday and has a tallied a point in three straight games and four of the last five. The former NAIA All-America has played in all 14 games for the Tar Heels, starting 12.
TAR HEELS STEADY IN THE BACK
Carolina's backline of juniors Ted Odgers, David Boole and Michael Harrington and sophomore Andre Sherard has started 13 of 14 games for the Tar Heels this season and is one of the most veteran parts of this year's team. This group has surrendered just 13 goals in 14 games this season and has limited the opponent's scoring chances, allowing just 9.2 shots and 2.9 corner kicks per game. Odgers and Sherard man the center back positions, while Boole and Harrington moved to the outside spots for the first time this year.
WILLIAMS IN RARE COMPANY
Senior Ford Williams has a career-best six shutouts this season and has logged at least five in each of his four seasons in Chapel Hill for 21 in his career. The Carolina record for career shutouts is 28.5 set by Michael Ueltschey from 1998-2001. The single-season record for shutouts is 12 set by Ueltschey in the national championship season of 2001.
Having allowed just 11 goals, Williams also owns a 0.88 goals against average, which would be the second-lowest mark in his career. Williams owned a 0.85 GAA in 11 games in 2003. Kevin Kane set the school record for GAA with a 0.40 mark in 1978.
ROOKIES OFF TO STRONG STARTS
Carolina freshmen have combined for 33 starts this season for head coach Elmar Bolowich. Midfielder Scott Campbell has started all 14 games, while midfielder Michael Callahan has made 13 starts. Forward Stephen Bickford (three), forward Brian Shriver (two) and defender Tim Evans (one) have also made starts for the Tar Heels. Rated fifth nationally coming into the season by College Soccer News, the Carolina freshmen have more than lived up to their billing. Campbell leads the team with 18 points through 14 games. Callahan has provided very steady midfield play so far, while Shriver has scored four goals on the season, and Bickford one. Shriver and Bickford are two of the first options off the bench for Bolowich.
