No. 16 Tar Heels Host Carolina Nike Classic

August 30, 2007 | Men's Soccer

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Aug. 30, 2007

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After a pair of impressive exhibition wins, 16th-ranked North Carolina opens its 2007 season this weekend at the annual Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels will face Monmouth at 7:30 p.m. Friday followed by a 7 p.m. tilt with No. 20 Old Dominion Sunday on ACC Select (ACCSelect.com). No. 2-ranked Wake Forest rounds out the tournament field.

ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
Carolina has never met Monmouth in men's soccer, and is 5-4-1 in 10 all-time meetings with Old Dominion. The Monarchs posted a 1-0 win over the Tar Heels in last year's NCAA Tournament.

TALENTED TOURNEY FIELD AGAIN
As has been commonplace over the last few seasons, UNC is hosting a talented field at the Carolina Nike Classic. No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 20 Old Dominion give the field a trio of top-25 teams, while Monmouth is coming off a Northeast Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. All four teams participated in last year's postseason, with the Monarchs handing the Tar Heels a 1-0 loss in the second round at Fetzer Field.

UNC DOMINATES HOME TOURNEY
Carolina is 14-2-0 all-time in the Carolina Nike Classic and shut out nationally-ranked Penn State and Ohio State in last year's event. The Tar Heels' only losses in this version of their home tournament came to Florida International and VCU in 2004. UNC has posted four consecutive shutouts in the event over the last two seasons.

EXHIBITION OUTBURST
The Tar Heels' seven goals in exhibition play against Davidson and UNC Asheville matched their output in their final eight games of the 2006 season. Sophomores Bill Dworsky and Ryan Johnson shared the team scoring lead with two goals each. Dworsky found the back of the net twice against Davidson, while Johnson scored one goal in each match.

SHERARD ON HERMANN LIST
North Carolina senior defender Andre Sherard is among 29 men's soccer standouts included on the Missouri Athletic Club's 2007 Hermann Trophy Watch List released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) August 8.

Sherard, who has started 63 of a possible 65 games over the last three seasons and has led UNC to 29 shutouts over this stretch, is a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and a two-time member of the NSCAA/adidas All-South Region squad.

The Greenville, N.C., native is one of six ACC players on this year's list. The Tar Heels have had three players on the watch list over the last two seasons, with Michael Harrington and Justin Hughes honored a year ago.

PRESEASON HONORS PILE UP
In addition to earning a spot on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List, senior defender Andre Sherard also picked up preseason All-America honors from both Soccer America and College Soccer News.

CSN HONORS FRESHMEN BROWN, KING
UNC rookies Cameron Brown and Brett King were named to the website's annual listing of "100 Freshman to Keep an Eye On" by College Soccer News.

A native of Garland, Texas, Brown is a two-time youth All-America midfielder and was rated as the nation's best at his position by Student Sport Magazine. King picked up high school All-America honors at defender at Wilmington's Eugene Ashley High School.

ROOKIES RATED 11TH NATIONALLY
North Carolina's incoming class of men's soccer newcomers has been rated No. 11 nationally by College Soccer News. The Tar Heels are one of six Atlantic Coast Conference teams rated in the top 11 and one of seven to make CSN's list of the top 40 classes of 2007.

Head coach Elmar Bolowich and assistants Carlos Somoano and Jeff Negalha have added nine newcomers for the 2007 season, including standout prep midfielder Cameron Brown of Garland, Texas, and junior transfers Ryan Adeleye (Davidson) and Joan Carvajal (Creighton).

Rounding out the highly-rated group are: Daniel Choi (Seoul, South Korea), Tyler Deric (Spring, Texas), Brett King (Wilmington, N.C.), Ryley Leech (Manakin Sabot, Va.), Drew McKinney (Cary, N.C.) and Stephen Twilley (Greensboro, N.C.).

UNC OWNS TOP-NOTCH STAFF
With assistants Jeff Negalha and Carlos Somoano on its staff, the North Carolina men's soccer team is the only program in the nation that boasts two of the "20 Top Assistant Coaches of 2006" according to College Soccer News, which "annually recognizes assistant coaches across the country who excel at their trade."

Somoano is in his sixth season at Carolina and is a four-time honoree as one of the top assistants in the country. He is the top assistant for head coach Elmar Bolowich, assisting in all aspects of the UNC program.

Negalha is entering his third year at Carolina and assists in all aspects of the program and works with the Tar Heels' goalkeepers. Negalha was honored by CSN for the first time in his career.

TAR HEELS PICKED FOURTH IN ACC
The North Carolina men's soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference in the league's annual preseason poll determined by a vote of the ACC's nine head coaches.

The Tar Heels, who were 11-6-3 and reached their eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament a year ago, received 52 points. Duke (78 points), Wake Forest (66) and Virginia (59) made out the top three, with Carolina edging Maryland (50) for fourth.