University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels, Hoosiers Tangle In NCAA Third Round
November 25, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 25, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 5 seed North Carolina and Indiana will meet in the postseason for the third time this decade Sunday at 2 p.m. at Fetzer Field in the third round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. A live webcast of the game will be available at TarHeelBlue.com though Carolina All-Access.
Unbeaten in their last six games, the Tar Heels (14-2-3) are fresh off a 2-0 win over Brown in the second round, while Indiana has knocked off Louisville, 2-0, and Butler, 1-0, in the tourney's first two rounds.
Sunday's winner will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals against Boston College or Drake.
National Rankings
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 4 by Soccer America and the NSCAA. Indiana is unranked.
Series History
North Carolina and Indiana have split the program's four all-time meetings, including a pair of NCAA Tournament games. Sunday marks the third postseason meeting of the decade between the two soccer powers. The Hoosiers beat Carolina, 1-0, in Chapel Hill in a 2000 quarterfinal match, and the Tar Heels posted a 2-0 victory in the 2001 national title game. UNC and IU each won once in Bloomington, Ind., in early-season tournaments in 1988 and 1994.
North Carolina-Indiana Series 1988 at Indiana L, 0-2 1994 at Indiana W, 2-0 2000 Indiana L, 0-1 2001 vs. Indiana W, 2-0
History At Tournament Time
Carolina is making its 17th NCAA championship appearance and it owns a 22-15-0 record in the postseason. The Tar Heels are making their 14th postseason trip - and 10th in 11 years - under head coach Elmar Bolowich, who is 18-12-0 in NCAA Tournament play. The Tar Heels are 14-7-0 in all-time NCAA Tournament action at Fetzer Field. Carolina, which has a 15-8-0 record in the tournament over its last 10 appearances, has made three College Cup appearances (1987, 2001, 2008) and captured the 2001 national title.
Tar Heels Seeking Fifth Elite Eight Of The 2000s
With a win Sunday, Carolina will advance to the national quarterfinals for the fifth time this decade and the second straight season. The Tar Heels reached the tournament's elite eight in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008. UNC has reached the NCAA College Cup twice in the 2000s (2001, 2008) and captured the 2001 national title.
A National Seed Once Again
For the fifth time since the NCAA went to seeding the top 16 national seeds in 2003, the Tar Heels have claimed one of the valuable spots and a first-round bye. Seeded fifth this year, Carolina was seeded 13th in 2008, 14th in 2006, and fourth in both 2005 and 2003.
Well-Tested Tar Heels
Carolina has played nine of its 19 matches against teams that reached the 48-team NCAA tourney field. The Tar Heels have compiled a 5-2-2 record in these games and are unbeaten - 2-0-2 - in four matches against the tourney's top 16 seeds.
Last Time Out: Carolina 2, Brown 0
Billy Schuler found the back of the net to give No. 5 national seed North Carolina an early lead, and Alex Dixon added a late goal to put the match away in the Tar Heels' 2-0 win over Brown in second round action of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Nov. 22 at Fetzer Field.
Kirk Urso assisted on both goals for the Tar Heels, setting up a Schuler header on a free kick in the 20th minute and feeding Dixon near midfield in the 89th.
Goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty went the distance in net for his eighth shutout and Carolina's 10th in 19 outings. He made two saves, and UNC's smothering defense held Brown without a shot over the first 57 minutes and to just five shots on the afternoon.
Sophomores Shine In NCAA Opener
Classmates Alex Dixon, Billy Schuler and Kirk Urso figured into all the scoring in Carolina's second round win over Brown. Urso assisted on both goals, finding Schuler on a free kick in the 20th minute and playing a through ball to Dixon in the 89th to secure the win.
Schuler and Dixon are the Tar Heels' top scorers with nine and six goals, respectively, while Urso leads UNC with six assists.
Tar Heels Winning With Balance
Carolina's formula for success this season has been a balanced team across the board. The Tar Heels are second in the ACC in scoring with 40 goals and in scoring defense with just 11 goals allowed. UNC is the only team to rank in the league's top two in both categories.
Offensively, goals have come from throughout the Carolina lineup. Eleven different players have found the back of the net. Four players own five-plus goals and six players have three or more goals on the season. Fetzer's Friendly Confines
Carolina is 10-1-1 at home this season, with its lone loss coming against Boston College Oct. 17. Dating to the end of last season, the Tar Heels have dropped just one of their last 14 contests in Chapel Hill.
Tar Heels Primed For Postseason
Led by senior captain Zach Loyd, who has seen action in seven NCAA Tournament games, Carolina's roster is full of players with postseason experience. Highlights include:
• Zach Loyd: Seven games, six starts. Assisted on game-winning score against Wake Forest in 2008 College Cup. Named to College Cup All-Tournament Team.
• Brooks Haggerty: Six games, six starts. 0.59 GAA, 21 saves, three shutouts in 2008 NCAA tourney. Named to College Cup All-Tournament Team. Shutout last week against Brown.
• Billy Schuler: Six games, six starts. Tallied a goal and an assist in 2008 tourney. Scored game-winner against Jacksonville in second round in 2008 and game-winner versus Brown last week.
• Kirk Urso: Five games, two starts. Scored twice in 2008 tourney, against UIC and the game-winner against Northwestern in the quarterfinals. Assisted on both goals in last week's win over Brown.
• Jordan Graye: Five games, five starts. Outside back helped lead UNC to three shutouts in 2008 NCAA tourney and a clean sheet against Brown last week.
Tar Heels Excel In Spite Of Injuries
North Carolina has endured a number of injuries this season to some of its most experienced players, including five seniors. At one point, the Tar Heels were down six projected starters in a 2-2 tie at Wake Forest Oct. 9. On the season, Carolina has lost 57 games due to injury from its projected starting lineup entering training camp.
Games Missed Due To Injury In 2009 Player Games Injury/Illness David Rodriguez 19 knee Eddie Ababio 16 foot Stephen McCarthy 16 hip Zach Loyd 5 appendectomy Brooks Haggerty 3 hip Cameron Brown 1 leg
Tough To Beat With Two Goals
The Tar Heels have scored at least two goals in 12 of 19 games this season and are 11-0-1 when finding the back of net at least twice. This continues a trend for Carolina, which is now 32-2-2 when scoring twice over the last four seasons. UNC scored twice 13 times a year ago and went 11-2-0.
Carolina's Stingy Defense
North Carolina has allowed just 11 goals on the season and yielded just two scores on two occasions - to NCAA sides Wake Forest and Boston College. The Tar Heels have posted shutouts in over half of their games this season - 10 of 19.
Tar Heels Claim Share Of ACC Title
y virtue of a 5-2-1 conference record and 16 points in league action, Carolina captured a share of its first regular season ACC title since 2000. The Tar Heels share the regular-season crown with Wake Forest, which claimed the tourney's top seed by virtue of an 18-12 scoring edge in ACC play.
Schuler Finishes Strong
Sophomore forward Billy Schuler, who was named ACC and national player of the week for the final week of the regular season, has closed the year on a strong note. He scored three goals - including two game-winners - in the final week of the regular season and has scored five goals and posted 12 points over the last eight games. He leads UNC with 22 points and nine goals.
Five Tar Heels Honored By ACC
With three first-team all-conference selections for the first time since 2002, North Carolina was one of four teams to lead the way with four members of the 2009 All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's soccer teams.
Junior midfielder Michael Farfan, senior defender Zach Loyd and sophomore forward Billy Schuler each garnered first-team honors, while junior midfielder Cameron Brown was named to the second team. Additionally, rookie forward Enzo Martinez earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman Team.
Loyd, Newcomers Stellar In The Back
Senior captain Zach Loyd, who has played at outside back and in the midfield throughout his Carolina career, is playing center back for the first time due to a season-ending knee injury to starter David Rodriguez in the preseason.
With Loyd in the mix, the Tar Heels have started three new defenders for much of the season - Loyd, Brett King and Drew McKinney. Results have been solid, as the Tar Heels have yielded just 11 goals and are holding the opposition to just 7.2 shots and 2.2 corner kicks per game.
Healthy Haggerty Strong In Net
Senior goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty was outstanding in the 2008 postseason run and has picked up where he left off in 2009. After battling injuries for much of his UNC career, Haggerty entered 2009 in the best shape of his collegiate career and owns a 0.60 goals against average and 40 saves in 1,501 minutes. He missed three games with a hip injury but returned in the regular-season finale and has allowed just one goal over the last three matches.
Bolowich Earns Win No. 250
Already Carolina's all-time winningest coach, Elmar Bolowich claimed career win No. 250 with a 4-0 win over Evansville Sept. 6. The 21-year Tar Heel mentor entered the season ranked 24th among active coaches in victories and 29th in winning percentage.
