University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 1 Tar Heels Open Home Slate Friday
August 31, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 31, 2006
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ranked No. 1 by Soccer America, North Carolina will get a stern test this weekend when it hosts No. 20 Ohio State and No. 13 Penn State in the 2006 Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field. Eleventh-ranked Wake Forest rounds out the four-team field. The Demon Deacons and Nittany Lions open the event at 5 p.m. Friday with the Tar Heels and Buckeyes set to follow at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Wake Forest and Ohio State play at 1 p.m. with Carolina and Penn State slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.
2006 CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC
• Friday, Sept. 1, 5 p.m. No. 11 Wake Forest vs. No. 13 Penn State • Friday, Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m. No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 20 Ohio State • Sunday, Sept. 3 • 1 p.m. No. 11 Wake Forest vs. No. 20 Ohio State • Sunday, Sept. 3 • 3:30 p.m. No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Penn State
CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• With a pair of shutouts at last week's Wake Forest adidas Classic, the Tar Heels now have blanked 10 of their last 12 opponents and have 17 shutouts in their last 26 games dating to the start of the 2005 season. Carolina has only allowed 17 goals over this stretch.
• Carolina returns 95 percent of its scoring from 2005 (39 of 41 goals). Midfielder Dax McCarty is the lone Tar Heel to score a goal last season not back on the roster in 2006.
• The Tar Heels return 10 starters from last yar's team that went 17-4-3 and reached the ACC Tournament final, as well as the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
• Senior goalkeeper Justin Hughes recorded his 14th and 15th career shutouts last weekend.
• Three different players scored goals for UNC last weekend (Ben Hunter, Stephen Bickford, Garry Lewis) and three others picked up assists (Brian Shriver, Michael Callahan, Michael Harrington).
• Four true freshmen saw action for UNC on its opening weekend, including midfielder Zach Loyd, who started both games. Rookies Eddie Ababio, Bill Dworsky and Javier Velez also played, and sophomore transfer Garry Lewis started in the midfield twice.
CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC HISTORY
The Tar Heels own a 12-2 all-time record in their home tournament, which has been held each season since 1998 with the exception of 2001. Carolina's only losses in the event came to VCU and Florida International in 2004. A year ago, the Tar Heels shut out Rutgers (1-0) and South Carolina (2-0) in the tourney. UNC is 1-0 against the Big Ten in the Carolina Nike Classic thanks to a win over Michigan in 2003.
OHIO STATE SERIES
Carolina is 2-0 all-time against the Buckeyes with both victories coming under head coach Elmar Bolowich. The Tar Heels posted a 2-1 win over Ohio State at the 2004 Ohio State Classic on a Corey Ashe goal in the eighth minute. Carolina's only other win over OSU was a 4-1 victory at Fetzer Field in 1993.
PENN STATE SERIES
The Tar Heels are in search of their first-ever win over Penn State. The Nittany Lions own a 5-0-1 record in six games with Carolina. In the teams' last meeting, UNC and PSU tied at the 2004 Ohio State Classic. Penn State won four straight over UNC from 1949-52 and captured a 1-0 overtime win in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes opened 2006 with a win and a tie last weekend. Ohio State played Hartwick to a scoreless draw before posting a 2-0 win over Furman at the Ohio State Classic. Xavier Balc leads the team with three points on a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Casey Latchem has made 12 saves and has not allowed a score in 200 minutes.
PENN STATE: After a season opening loss to Furman, the Nittany Lions bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Hartwick at the Ohio State Classic. Jeff Chambers and and Jacobo Vera provided the offense for PSU in the win over Hartwick. Conrad Taylor has gone all 180 minutes in goal for Penn State.
DEFENSE RULES OPENING WEEKEND
Much like last season, the Tar Heels opened 2006 with a strong defensive showing and posted shutouts of William & Mary and UCF at last weekend's Wake Forest adidas Classic. Carolina has now opened with back-to-back shutouts in back-to-back years, and a year ago the Tar Heels did not allow a goal until their fifth game of the season.
Since the start of last year, UNC has 17 shutouts in a 26-game span, including 10 in their last 12 outings.
HUGHES, ODGERS, SHERARD NAMED TO WFU ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Goalkeeper Justin Hughes and defenders Ted Odgers and Andre Sherard were named to the all-tournament team at the Wake Forest adidas Classic for their part in the Tar Heels' pair of shutouts. Hughes made five saves on the weekend, including a key diving stop in the second half of the 1-0 win over UCF. UNC and Wake Forest both went 2-0 on the weekend, but the Demon Deacons won the event's title on goal differential.
STRONG DEBUT FOR LEWIS
Sophomore midfielder Garry Lewis had a strong opening weekend as a Tar Heel, starting both games at the Wake Forest adidas Classic. The Orange Park, Fla., native took six shots in two games and scored the game-winner against UCF on a header in the 10th minute. The goal was his first at Carolina and fifth of his career after scoring four times at St. John's in 2005.
CAROLINA CLAIMS NO. 1 PRESEASON RANKING
For the first time since capturing the 2001 national championship, North Carolina sits atop the Soccer America Men's Top 25 Poll for the second straight week. The Tar Heels return 10 starters from a squad that posted a 17-4-3 record and reached the NCAA quarterfinals a year ago. Also ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA/adidas preseason poll, Carolina was one of four Atlantic Coast Conference teams ranked in the top six and one of seven in the preseason top 19 by Soccer America. The Tar Heels were rated just ahead of No. 2 SMU, the team that eliminated them in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Joining top-ranked Carolina in the Soccer America preseason rankings from the ACC were: No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Maryland, No. 6 Clemson, No. 15 Duke, No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 19 Virginia Tech. In addition to having six ranked conference foes on the 2006 slate, the Tar Heels will also face No. 11 Penn State Sept. 3 at the annual Carolina Nike Classic.
TAR HEELS TABBED ACC FAVORITES BY COACHES
With 10 returning starters and one of the nation's top recruiting classes in the fold for the upcoming season, the North Carolina Tar Heels were selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference men's soccer title, as determined by a vote of the league's nine head coaches.
After advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Tar Heels collected 73 points and four first-place votes en route to being named the conference preseason favorite. UNC returns 95 percent (39 of 41 goals) of its scoring from a year ago, led by senior forward Ben Hunter's 13 goals. The Tar Heels also return four defenders and a goalkeeper that posted a school-record 15 shutouts a year ago.
HARRINGTON, HUGHES ON HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
No. 1-ranked North Carolina is one of just three schools to place a pair of players on the 25-man watch list for the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, presented annually to the top men's and women's player in collegiate soccer. Seniors Justin Hughes and Michael Harrington were honored from the Tar Heel roster.
Joining the Tar Heels with multiple honorees were Clemson and UNC Greensboro. In all, eight players from the Atlantic Coast Conference were selected to the initial watch list. The winner of the M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy will be determined in voting by NSCAA Division I member coaches. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in early November, with three finalists announced in late November. They will be invited to St. Louis on Saturday, Dec. 2, for the announcement of the winner at a press conference to be held in conjunction with the Men's College Cup.
A senior goalkeeper from Wake Forest, N.C., Hughes enters the 2006 season as the clear-cut starter in goal for Carolina for the first time in his career. Hughes has posted 15 shutouts and owns two of the three best single-season GAA marks in school history, including an ACC-best 0.50 GAA a year ago.
A four-year starter for the Tar Heels, Harrington is playing his second season at outside back and has started 64 games since 2003. He is the most offensive-minded of the UNC defenders and has career totals of three goals and 11 assists. A Greenville, N.C., product, Harrington was also picked as a preseason All-America by College Soccer News last week.
SOCCER AMERICA HONORS HUNTER AS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
Senior forward Ben Hunter became the third North Carolina men's soccer standout to earn preseason All-America accolades when Soccer America released its list of honorees Monday. Hunter joins defenders Michael Harrington and Andre Sherard, who where recognized by College Soccer News, as preseason All-Americas.
Hunter led the Tar Heels in 2005 with 31 points on 13 goals and five assists and has one goal so far in 2006. He was at his best in Carolina's postseason run, scoring seven consecutive goals for the Tar Heels. Hunter scored all three UNC goals in the ACC Tournament and notched the team's first four in NCAA play.
The Doncaster, England, product was one of eight forwards honored by Soccer America, which also placed eight ACC players on its preseason All-America team.
GREENVILLE DUO NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAS BY CSN
After helping post a school-record 15 shutouts a year ago, North Carolina defenders Andre Sherard and Michael Harrington were named to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America squad. Sherard was a second-team selection, while Harrington earned a spot on the third team.
Both Greenville, N.C., natives, Sherard and Harrington each earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference and all-region accolades a year ago. A junior center back, Sherard has started 46 games over the past three seasons. Harrington is playing his second season at outside back and has started 64 games at Carolina. He has career totals of three goals and 11 assists. A total of seven ACC players were honored by CSN, but Harrington and Sherard were the only set of teammates to earn a spot on the Preseason All-America squad.
