University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels, Blue Devils Meet For ACC Title Sunday
November 12, 2005 | Men's Soccer
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Nov. 12, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney will be on the line Sunday when rivals No. 4 North Carolina (15-3-2) and No. 9 Duke (12-4-2) square off at 1 p.m. at SAS Soccer Complex in the ACC championship match. The Tar Heels, who are playing in the title game for the fourth time, are in search of their third league crown and first since 2000. The game will be televised in North Carolina on Fox Sports Net South. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels were voted No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the ACC preseason coaches poll.
CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• North Carolina is 15-3-2 on the season and has its most victories since winning 21 in 2001. UNC's 8-1-1 record after 10 games was its best opening since the College Cup squad of 1987 started 9-1-0.
• Since losing at Maryland Oct. 14, the Tar Heels are unbeaten in their last seven matches and own a 6-0-1 mark over this stretch. Carolina has allowed just two goals since losing to the Terps. The seven-match unbeaten streak is the longest for UNC since opening the season 7-0-1.
• Junior forward Ben Hunter has all three of Carolina's goals in the ACC tourney. Twenty-six of Carolina's 35 goals in 2005 have been scored by players that were not on last season's roster. Hunter and freshman midfielder Scott Campbell have combined for 19 of UNC's 35 scores.
• Carolina has allowed just 13 goals in 20 games this season. After allowing six goals over a two-game stretch in mid-October, but have responded with a school record-tying straight shutouts, including five against ACC opponents - Duke, Wake Forest, Boston College, NC State and Clemson.
• The Tar Heels have 13 shutouts this season and will tie the school record of 14 set in 2001 with a blanking of the Blue Devils.
• Carolina is building a strong NCAA Tournament resume thanks to a 7-2-1 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The Tar Heels are in search of a school-record seventh straight postseason bid. The 2005 NCAA Championship field will be announced Monday between 4-4:30 p.m. on ESPNews.
HEELS' HISTORY IN ACC TOURNAMENT PLAY
Carolina advanced to the ACC final for the first time since 2000 and the fourth time overall with a 2-0 win over Clemson Friday. Overall, the Tar Heels are 15-15-2 (.500) in ACC Championship play. UNC won ACC titles in 1987 and 2001 and also advanced to the title game in 1988. The Tar Heels are 9-7-2 in first round games, 4-7 in the semifinals and 2-1 in the title game. Carolina scored a 1-0 win over Virginia to win the 2000 title and a 4-3 overtime win over NC State in the 1987 title game. UVa topped the Tar Heels, 2-1, in the 1988 final. Carolina head coach Elmar Bolowich is 1-0 in the final, guiding Carolina to the 2000 crown.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Duke brings a 12-4-2 record into Sunday's ACC final. Blake Camp leads the way with nine goals and five assists and he scored twice in the semifinal win over Maryland. Chris Loftus is second with 22 points on nine goals and four assists, while Spencer Wadsworth has 21 points on six goals and nine assists. Duke keeper Justin Papadakis owns a 1.19 goals against average and has allowed 22 goals.
SERIES WITH DUKE
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Duke, 35-32-7, and they are 3-2-1 in the last six meetings. Carolina has won the last two home games in the series, including a dramatic 3-2 overtime win in 2003 when Wes Shull connected on a 28-yard free kick in the 109th minute of play. Last year's meeting in Durham was just as exciting, as the Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead into the half and the teams traded four goals in the final 18 minutes before Duke emerged with a 3-2 win. This season the teams played to a scoreless draw on Oct. 28.
Duke holds a 2-1 all-time lead in ACC Championship play, including a 4-0 win in the last meeting in the 1999 semifinals.
CARLYLE CUP UPDATE
Duke holds a 4.5-3.5 lead towards the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils. The teams split the point for men's soccer following the regular season tie and a half point will be up for grabs Sunday. A Tar Heel win would tie the count at four, while a Duke victory would give the Blue Devils a 5-3 advantage.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 2, CLEMSON 0
Junior forward Ben Hunter scored his second and third goals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, and No. 4 North Carolina's stout defense logged a school record-tying sixth straight shutout in a 2-0 win over No. 16 Clemson Friday in conference semifinal action at SAS Soccer Park. The Tar Heels earned their fourth appearance in the league title game and will take on Duke at 1 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Net South. Hunter, who has scored five of his nine goals in three games at SAS this season, found the back of the net in the 55th and 73rd minutes to send the Tar Heels to their first conference title match since 2000. Duke defeated No. 1-ranked Maryland, 4-2, in Friday's first semifinal. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils, who played to a scoreless tie earlier this season, have never played for the ACC crown. Carolina keeper Justin Hughes made two saves to post his sixth shutout of the season in eight starts.
"BIG GAME" HUNTER
Carolina junior forward Ben Hunter has been at his best in the ACC tourney, scoring all three Tar Heel goals in wins over NC State and Clemson. He scored two goals in a Sept. 14 win over NC State and now has five goals in three games at SAS Soccer Park this season. Hunter also notched a goal and an assist in the Nov. 4 win over Boston College for nine points in the last three games. Hunter is now second on the team with 23 points on nine goals and five assists.
HOMETOWN HEROES
Carolina has a heavy North Carolina flavor with 16 in-state products on the current roster. Six Tar Heel natives are regular starters for Carolina, including the entire defense. All six starters are playing in their home park of sorts as they all played with the Capital Area Soccer League, which hosts the ACC Championship in conjunction with the town of Cary.
SHUTOUT STREAK REACHES SIX
The Tar Heels have not allowed a goal in their last six games, equaling a school-record shutout streak established in 1992. Carolina has not allowed a goal in nearly a month - since the 3-2 win at William & Mary Oct. 18. The Tar Heels have not allowed a goal in their last 617:22, a span of more than 10 hours of soccer. Carolina has not allowed a goal in their last 16 periods of play - 13 halves and portions of three overtime periods. The Tar Heels can tie a school record for single-season shutouts with one more. UNC blanked 14 opponents during the national championship season of 2001.
BEND IT LIKE BEN
Doncaster, England, native Ben Hunter has shown a knack for connecting on set pieces this season, scoring three goals on such plays - all against NC State. Hunter scored two goals in the 2-2 tie with Pack Sept. 14 - one a free kick and the other on a penalty kick. He also scored the game-winner against NCSU in Wednesday's ACC quarterfinal on a free kick.
HUNTER SCORES IN BUNCHES
Junior transfer Ben Hunter is second on the team with 23 points on nine goals and five assists, but his points 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. He chipped in with a goal and an assist in the Nov. 4 win over Boston College for his third game with three or more points and scored twice in the ACC semifinal win over Clemson for his third multi-goal game and his fourth with at least three points. Hunter also added goals versus William & Mary Oct. 18 and NC State in the ACC tourney Nov. 9. The former NAIA All-America has played in all 20 games for the Tar Heels, starting 16.
TAR HEELS SPORT ACC'S BEST 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 an ACC-low 13 goals this season and own a 0.62 goals against average, the lowest mark in the ACC and the 16th-best mark in the nation entering the league tournament. The 13 goals allowed are the fewest for Carolina since giving up just 12 in 1978. Carolina keeper Justin Hughes has a 0.26 GAA, which would rank as the lowest mark in Tar Heel history.
BIG THREE LEADS TO VICTORIES
If any of its three leading scorers finds the back of the net, Carolina can usually count on a win. The Tar Heels are 8-0 when freshman midfielder Scott Campbell scores, 6-0 when junior forward Corey Ashe scores and 5-0-1 when junior forward Ben Hunter, who has scored all three goals in the ACC tourney, nets a goal. All of Campbell's team-best 26 points have come in Tar Heel victories.
HUGHES EQUALS WINS
Junior Justin Hughes was inserted into the regular starting lineup following the 4-1 loss at Maryland, and the Tar Heels have not lost since, posting a 6-0-1 record over this stretch. Hughes has posted six straight shutouts and made several spectacular saves to preserve a tie with Duke Oct. 28. Hughes has six shutouts in eight starts this season and sports a 0.26 goals against average. He now has 12 career shutouts in 20 games played.
FIVE TAR HEELS NAMED ALL-ACC
Sophomore midfielder Dax McCarty captured first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, while midfielder Scott Campbell and defenders Michael Harrington and Andre Sherard each picked up second-team accolades as the ACC announced its 2005 men's soccer honors Monday. The four selections for the Tar Heels are their most since 2002.
Additionally, Campbell and fellow rookie midfielder Michael Callahan were named to the All-ACC Freshman Team.
TWO IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
The Tar Heels, who have scored 35 goals this season, are unbeaten when scoring at least twice. Carolina is 9-0-1 with two goals on the board and a perfect 4-0-0 when scoring three times. Thanks to a strong defense, Carolina is also 6-1-0 when scoring just one goal.
FIREWORKS AT FETZER
Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell scored three goals in the win over Boston College Nov. 4 for the Tar Heels' first hat trick since Ryan Kneipper tied school record with five goals in a win over Winthrop in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Campbell also added an assist for a career-best seven points. Corey Ashe added a goal and two assists, as Carolina notched five goals for the second time this season. The Tar Heels' five goals were their most in an ACC game since a 5-1 win at Maryland in 2000.
SCORING STARTS WITH MCCARTY
Sophomore Dax McCarty, who earned first-team All-ACC honors for the first time in his career, 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 six 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. He is tied for fourth on the team with 10 points.
CAMPBELL AMONG BEST ROOKIES
Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell leads the Tar Heels with 26 points on 10 goals and six assists in 19 games this season. The Plantation, Fla., native's 26 points are the most by a Carolina freshman since Marcus Storey also had 26 points (nine goals, eight assists) to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2001. Storey and Campbell's totals are the most by a Tar Heel rookie since Chris Carrieri notched 29 points (13 goals, three assists) in 1998.
Four of Campbell's goals have been game-winners against Clemson, Old Dominion, South Carolina and William & Mary. Campbell has scored at least one goal and an assist on four different occasions. Campbell ranks fourth in the ACC with 26 points and fifth with 10 goals.
DEFENSE BACK TO FORM
Carolina was led by its defense for the first half of the season, allowing just seven goals in the first 12 games. But The Tar Heels surrendered nearly that many over the next two matches against Maryland and William & Mary, but this top-notch defense has returned in the last four games - all shutouts. Carolina blanked Wake Forest Oct. 22 for its first win over the Deacs since 2000 and followed with shutouts of High Point, Duke, Boston College, NC State and Clemson. The Tar Heels now have 13 shutouts in just 20 games this season for its most since the 2001 national championship squad posted a school-record 14. The Tar Heels ranked sixth nationally in shutout percentage (0.61) entering the tournament.
ASHE REGAINS SCORING TOUCH
Junior forward Corey Ashe led the Tar Heels with nine goals a year ago and started quickly this season with four goals early in the season. But the Virginia Beach, Va., native was held scoreless for over a month before netting his fifth goal at High Point Oct. 25. Ashe then added a goal and his first two assists in the win over Boston College Nov. 4 and now has 15 points on the season. Four of Ashe's six scores have been game-winners against Richmond, Rutgers, No. 22 Old Dominion and Boston College. A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Ashe now has 19 career goals, including nine game-winners.
TAR HEELS STEADY IN THE BACK
Carolina's backline of juniors Ted Odgers, David Boole and Michael Harrington and sophomore Andre Sherard has started 19 of 20 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 20 games this season and has limited the opponent's scoring chances, allowing just 8.8 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. Sherard and Harrington both earned second-team All-ACC honors for their strong play this season.
BOLOWICH EARNS WIN NO. 200
In his 17th season in Chapel Hill, head coach Elmar Bolowich reached the 200-win plateau with the 3-0 win over Richmond Sept. 4. Already the program's winningest coach, Bolowich owns a career mark of 213-115-22.
