Tar Heels Open ACC Tourney Against Duke

November 13, 2007 | Men's Soccer

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Nov. 13, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 6 seed North Carolina looks to snap a three-game losing skid Wednesday when it faces No. 3 seed Duke in an Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal match at 5:30 p.m. at Cary's SAS Soccer Complex. The winner between the Tar Heels (6-7-5) and Blue Devils (11-6-1) will advance to Friday's second semifinal at 8 p.m. Webcasts of the entire tournament will be available live and on-demand at ACCSelect.com.

TAR HEELS HISTORY AT TOURNEY TIME
The Tar Heels are 15-15-4 (.500) in ACC Championship play. UNC won ACC titles in 1987 and 2001 and also advanced to the title game in 1988 and 2005 against opening round opponent Duke. The Tar Heels are 9-7-3 in first round games, 4-7-0 in the semifinals and 2-1-1 in the title game. Last year, Carolina played No. 2 seed Wake Forest to a scoreless tie before the Deacons advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4. The Tar Heels have gone to PKs in each of their last two ACC Tournament contests and three of the last seven. UNC was last seeded sixth in 2005 when it made a run to the championship game and went on to make the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Duke, 36-33-8, and they posted a 1-0 double overtime win over the then-No. 8 Blue Devils Oct. 11. The victory was UNC's first in the series since 2003. Goals have been at a premium between the two rivals, as only two shots have found the back of the net in the teams' last four meetings. Wednesday's match marks just the fifth meeting between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament. Duke holds a 1-2-1 edge and captured the ACC title on penalty kicks in the last meeting in 2005, also at SAS.

CARLYLE CUP POINT ON THE LINE AGAIN
Carolina captured the regular season meeting and the men's soccer Carlyle Cup point with a 1-0 win over Duke Oct. 11. But with Wednesday's meeting, the Blue Devils will have a chance to win back one-half of the Carlyle Cup point claimed by the Tar Heels in the regular season meeting. UNC currently leads the all-sport competition between the two schools, 6-1.5.

ALL-ACC HONORS FOR SHERARD, DERIC
Defender Andre Sherard claimed second-team All-ACC honors and goalkeeper Tyler Deric was named to the All-ACC Freshmen Team Monday when the league handed out its annual postseason awards. Sherard is the Tar Heels' first three-time all-conference honoree since Danny Jackson claimed all-league honors from 1999-2001. A center back out of Greenville, N.C., Sherard has anchored UNC's back line for the last four seasons, earning all-league honors each year since 2005. He has started 81 games and missed just one contest since 2004. Over this stretch, Sherard has led the Tar Heels to 35 shutouts. He was a preseason All-America entering this season and was a nominee for both the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy and the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Deric, a rookie goalkeeper from Spring, Texas, has started 15 of 18 games and has posted a 1.00 goals against average and five shutouts. He has made 44 saves and allowed 16 goals for a .733 save percentage. Deric, who posted a career-high seven saves at Virginia Tech Oct. 19, was labeled a "Freshman to Watch" earlier this season by College Soccer News.

CAROLINA AIMS TO AVOID RARE LOSING SEASON
At 6-7-5, the Tar Heels head into the ACC Tournament looking to avoid their first losing season since a 6-13-0 mark in 1997. Carolina has had just four losing seasons since the program started in 1947, with the 1997 mark the only losing slate since 1954. Also on the line is UNC's streak of NCAA Tournament appearances, which ranks eighth nationally at eight. Carolina has not missed the NCAA Tournament since the 1998 season.

ABABIO SHOWING VERSATILITY
Versatile defender Eddie Ababio has been a key contributor of late with all seven of his points in the last five games. The Tampa product had his most productive game as a Tar Heel with four points on two assists and a penalty kick goal in the 4-0 win over High Point Oct. 23. The points were the first of the season for Ababio, who shifted to outside back for the first time this season but will also play up front when Carolina needs a scoring boost. Ababio also scored against Campbell Oct. 31 and had an assist last time out against Maryland. He has played extremely well in his new position and is one of just two players to start all 18 games this season.

CALLAHAN MAKING PLAYS
Play making midfielder Michael Callahan has been a key part of Carolina's offensive attack with a team-best five assists, including three over the last seven games. The Cary native set up both Bill Dworsky goals in the win over Clemson and has assisted on half of Dworsky's six scores this season. Callahan and Dworsky are roommates and have combined for seven goals and nine assists on the season.

TWO SCORES EQUALS SUCCESS
Carolina has scored more than two goals just 11 times over the last two seasons but that has been the Tar Heels' magic number, as they are 10-0-1 when scoring at least twice. UNC is 4-0-0 this season when posting at least two goals. Carolina's last loss when scoring twice came against SMU in the 2005 NCAA quarterfinals.

ADELEYE HONORED FOR DUKE HEROICS
Junior defender Ryan Adeleye was named Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week Oct. 15 after leading his Tar Heels to a 1-0 upset over eighth-ranked Duke with the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute on Oct. 11. Additionally, Adeleye was named to national teams of the week by Soccer America and College Soccer News. The junior was also an integral part of a back line that held the Blue Devils to just five shots and five corner kicks. Adeleye has five points this season on two goals and an assist.

TOPS IN THE TRIANGLE; SUCCESS AT SAS
For the first time since the national championship season of 2001, Carolina defeated both Duke and NC State in the regular season to claim the unofficial Triangle title. The Tar Heels scored a 1-0 win over the Wolfpack in Raleigh Sept. 15 and followed with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Blue Devils Oct. 11. Carolina has also enjoyed success in Cary over the years, posting a 3-2-3 mark at SAS Soccer Complex since 2002. The Tar Heels have lost only once in their last seven games in Cary, but have been eliminated on penalty kicks twice since 2003.

TAR HEELS WORKING EXTRA TIME
The Nov. 9 loss to Maryland marked the Tar Heels' eighth overtime match this season, which is just two shy of the school record of 10 set in 1979. Carolina's five ties match the school record also set by the 1979 squad.

CAROLINA CONTROLLING POSSESSION
Despite struggling to find the back of the net for much of the season, the Tar Heels dominated possession throughout much of the regular season and generated plenty of scoring chances. Carolina has taken 251 shots on the season and 135 corner kicks for an average of 13.9 shots and 7.5 corners per match. Conversely, the Tar Heels' defense is holding the opposition to just 8.3 shots and 3.3 corners per game.

TAR HEELS DISPLAY YOUTH
UNC has put its youthful roster on display this season with four freshmen (Cameron Brown, Daniel Choi, Tyler Deric and Ryley Leech) and two transfers (Joan Carvajal and Ryan Adeleye) seeing their first action in Carolina Blue. With redshirts Bradley Brown, Ryan Johnson, David Rodriguez and Chris Litchford also tasting their first collegiate action, 10 of the 23 Tar Heels to see the pitch this season are essentially newcomers for head coach Elmar Bolowich.