University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 4 Tar Heels Host Hokies in ACC Battle Saturday
October 6, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2005
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Following Tuesday's overtime win over Elon, No. 4 North Carolina (8-1-1, 1-1-1 ACC) hosts Virginia Tech (4-3-3, 1-1-1 ACC) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fetzer Field for the first time since 1979 and the first time as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels posted a 2-1 win over the Hokies in Blacksburg in the teams' first-ever ACC meeting last season. UNC looks for its second conference win of the season after losing at Virginia last Saturday.
CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• The Tar Heels remained unbeaten at home with Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over Elon. Carolina's 8-1-1 mark after 10 matches is its best since the College Cup squad of 1987 started 9-1-0. A win Saturday would match Carolina's regular season win total of nine a year ago.
• Freshman Scott Campbell has scored in three of the last four games and has a team-best five goals. Nine of Carolina's 15 goals this season have been scored by players that were not on last season's roster.
• Senior Ford Williams has played all 946:17 in the net, allowing just six goals. He has six shutouts and his 0.57 goals against average would rank as the second-lowest mark in school history.
• Carolina is building a strong NCAA Tournament resume thanks to a 4-1 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 HOKIES
Virginia Tech enters Saturday's match following a 1-0 win over Liberty Tuesday. The Hokies are 0-1-2 in ACC play with ties against Boston College and Duke at home and a road loss to Wake Forest. Virginia Tech features a balanced offensive attack with five players with at least two goals on the season. Greg Roach leads the way with team bests of three goals and eight points. In goal, Chase Harrison has played the entire season and has a 1.28 goals against average. The Hokies have scored 16 goals and allowed 14.
SERIES WITH VIRGINIA TECH
Carolina is unbeaten in seven all-time meetings with Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels posted a 2-1 win in Blacksburg last season, which was the teams' first meeting since 1979 and the first away from Chapel Hill. Carolina has hosted the Hokies six times at Fetzer Field, all between 1964-79. UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich is 1-0 versus Virginia Tech, which is coached by former Tar Heel assistant Oliver Weiss.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 2, ELON 1 (OT)
Sophomore midfielder Dax McCarty netted a free kick off the post with 2:29 left in the second overtime to give No. 4 North Carolina a 2-1 victory over Elon Tuesday at Fetzer Field. With the win, the Tar Heels (8-1-1) improved to 9-0 all-time versus the Phoenix (5-5-2) and moved to 6-0 at home this season. McCarty's second goal of the season - and first since the season-opening win over VCU - came after the Tar Heels missed on several scoring opportunities late in regulation and earlier in overtime. Carolina freshman forward Stephen Bickford was fouled by an Elon defender just outside the 18-yard line, and McCarty nailed the free kick off his left-hand post and into the net for the victory. Freshman Scott Campbell came up with the Tar Heels' first score early in the opening half when he one-timed a Ben Hunter cross into the net from four yards out in the 18th minute. Defender Michael Harrington set up the play when he served the ball to Hunter on the left flank. Hunter then sent the cross to Campbell at the far post for the tap-in and the early lead.
OFFENSE 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 leads the team 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 Tuesday. McCarty's other goal this season was the winner at VCU in the season opener. His eight points are good for second on the team.
CAMPBELL HEATS UP
Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell has scored a team-best five goals this season, with three coming in the last four matches. The Plantation, Fla., native now leads the squad with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Three of his goals have been game-winners against Clemson, Old Dominion and South Carolina. Campbell and Dax McCarty have accounted for 21 of the Tar Heels 46 points this season to provide quite a scoring punch from the attacking midfield position.
TAR HEELS STEADY IN THE BACK
Carolina's backline of juniors Ted Odgers, David Boole and Michael Harrington and sophomore Andre Sherard has started all 10 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 six goals in 10 games this season and has limited the opponent's scoring chances, allowing just 9.5 shots and 3.2 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.
FRIENDLY FETZER
The Tar Heels are in the midst of a three-game home stand before taking to the road for four straight matches. Carolina is a perfect 6-0 at home this season and 318-98-24 in 58 seasons of soccer at Fetzer Field. After going just 5-4-1 at home a year ago, the Tar Heels dominance at Fetzer has returned, as they have allowed just two goals on their home turf all season.
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 six goals, Williams also owns a miniscule 0.57 goals against average, which would be the second lowest mark in school history if the season ended today. Kevin Kane set the school record for GAA with a 0.40 mark in 1978.
ASHE RESUMES SCORING PACE
Junior forward Corey Ashe led the Tar Heels with nine goals a year ago and he has picked up where he left off a year ago with four goals on the season to rank second on the team. Three of Ashe's four scores have been game-winners against Richmond, Rutgers and No. 22 Old Dominion. A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Ashe now has 17 career goals, including eight game-winners.
ROOKIES OFF TO STRONG STARTS
Freshman Scott Campbell and Michael Callahan have started all 10 matches, and classmates Stephen Bickford and Brian Shriver are two of the first options off the bench for the Tar Heels, as they have yet another banner rookie class. 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 13 points through 10 games. The attacking midfielder has five goals and three assists on the year and has three game-winning scores to his credit. Callahan has provided very steady midfield play so far, while Bickford and Shriver have each scored one goal on the season. Bickford set up Shriver's first half goal in the win over Old Dominion.
ACC, NATIONAL RANKINGS
The following Tar Heels were ranked among the Atlantic Coast Conference and national leaders through games of Oct. 4:
Goals Per Game - Corey Ashe - 0.50 (eighth in ACC)
Assists Per Game - Dax McCarty - 0.44 (eighth in ACC)
Shots Per Game - Corey Ashe - 3.50 (fourth in ACC); Ben Hunter - 2.67 (10th in ACC)
Game-Winning Goals - Corey Ashe - 3 (second in ACC); Scott Campbell - 3 (second in ACC)
Goals Against Average - Ford Williams - 0.54 (second in ACC, 14th in NCAA)
Saves Per Game - Ford Williams - 2.78 (eighth in ACC)
TAR HEELS OPEN WITH SHUTOUT STREAK
After struggling on the defensive end to open last season, the Tar Heels pitched a shutout through their first four matches this season and set a school record for consecutive shutouts to open a season. The UNC record for consecutive shutouts is six set in 1992. The Tar Heels have allowed just six goals on the season.
TAR HEELS EARN HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 2002
After being ranked in the top 20 in both preseason polls, the Tar Heels have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the NSCAA/adidas Coaches' Poll and the Soccer America Top 25. Carolina's No. 2 ranking marked its highest since Sept. 3, 2002, when it was ranked second in both polls. The Tar Heels are currently rated No. 4 by the NSCAA and No. 10 by Soccer America.
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 will be televised twice this season - at Maryland Oct. 14 and home versus Duke Oct. 28. Both games will begin at 8 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel is channel 144 on Time Warner Digital Cable in the Triangle area.
