University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Closes Regular Season With No. 15 Terps
November 7, 2007 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2007
Carolina_Maryland Notes in PDF Format 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina looks to close its regular season on a strong note when it hosts No. 15 Maryland in ACC men's soccer action Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels (6-6-5, 3-4-0 ACC) are battling for postseason positioning on Senior Night, while the Terrapins (9-4-4, 3-3-1 ACC) look to extend a nine-match unbeaten streak. A webcast of the match will be available live and on-demand at ACCSelect.com.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
Maryland leads its all-time series with Carolina, 38-21-3, and has won four of the last six meetings. The Tar Heels have not beaten the Terps since a 1-0 win over a No. 1-ranked Maryland squad in Chapel Hill in 2003. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at Fetzer a year ago.
FOUR CAROLINA SENIORS HONORED PREGAME
Carolina seniors Abe Chenathara, Cameron Lewis, Chris Litchford and Andre Sherard will be honored before Friday's game with Maryland, which will be their final home contest as Tar Heels.
Abe Chenathara, Midlothian, Va.: Played in four games, including three this season at defender • Member of ACC Academic Honor Roll and a Dean's List student • Mathematical decision sciences major.
Cameron Lewis, Alpharetta, Ga.: Played in 47 games and made 16 starts at defender and midfielder • Seen action in all 17 games this season and started 12, mainly at outside back • Member of ACC Academic Honor Roll and a Dean's List student • Economics and management and society double major.
Chris Litchford, Orlando, Fla.: Transferred from UCLA prior to 2004 season • Key reserve goalkeeper saw first game action this season • Member of ACC Academic Honor Roll and a Dean's List student • Business administration and economics double major.
Andre Sherard, Greenville, N.C.: One of the nation's top center backs • Two-time All-ACC and all-region pick • On the watch list for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy and a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award • Preseason All-America entering this season • Named the Tar Heels' MVP in each of the last two seasons • Missed only one match over the last four years and has made 80 starts • Helped lead Carolina to 35 shutouts and just 79 goals allowed over the last four years • Geography major.
UNC LOOKING TO AVOID RARE LOSING SEASON
At 6-6-5, the Tar Heels head into their final regular season match 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.
ACC TOURNEY SEEDING ON THE LINE
With three victories and nine points in ACC play, the Tar Heels are assured of finishing no worse than sixth in the league standings heading into next week's tournament at SAS Soccer Park in Cary. With a win over Maryland and a Duke loss to NC State, Carolina could finish in fourth place and would face the No. 5 seed on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
ABABIO SHOWING VERSATILITY
Defender Eddie Ababio 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 moved up front when the Tar Heels fell behind against Campbell Oct. 31 He responded with his second goal in the last four games. The Tampa product has played extremely well in his new position and is one of just two players to start all 17 games this season.
HAGGERTY SEEING TIME
After being sidelined due to a preseason knee injury, sophomore goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty has seen action in three of the last four games and has a 0.64 goals against average in four games (three starts) this season. Haggerty allowed the first goals of his college career last week at No. 2 Wake Forest.
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 six 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 eight assists on the season.
SHERARD TO MAKE 81ST START FRIDAY
Senior defender Andre Sherard should make the 81st start of his career Friday against Maryland. The game will also make the 82nd game that he has played in since 2004. Sherard has missed just one game in his career and has started 80 of a possible 82 games over the last four seasons. The school record for games played in a career is 88 held by Chris Leitch and Noz Yamauchi, who played from 1998-2001.
SHERARD ANCHORS DEFENSE ONCE AGAIN
Senior center back Andre Sherard is once again making his presence felt despite not taking a shot or tallying a single point this season. The UNC captain has organized a young back line into a defensive unit that has allowed only 17 goals in 17 games and posted six shutouts. The Tar Heels sport a 0.93 goals against average on the season, which is fourth in the ACC.
CAROLINA LOOKING STRONG IN THE RPI
Despite a slow start and a 6-4-5 overall record as of Oct. 30, North Carolina was rated No. 21 in the most recent edition of the NCAA's official Ratings Percentage Index for men's soccer. The RPI is a factor in selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament, which the Tar Heels have made for a school-record eight straight years. Six ACC teams were ranked in the top 21 of the RPI, including No. 1 Wake Forest - the Tar Heels' next opponent.
CAROLINA CONTROLLING POSSESSION
Despite struggling to find the back of the net for much of the season, the Tar Heels have dominated possession for most of their first 17 games and have generated plenty of scoring chances. Carolina has taken 246 shots on the season and 124 corner kicks for an average of 14.5 shots and 7.3 corners per match. Conversely, the Tar Heels' defense is holding the opposition to just 8.6 shots and 3.1 corners per game.
