University of North Carolina Athletics
Top Five Battle Set For Friday
September 23, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 23, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 3 Tar Heels will host a top five battle at Fetzer Field on Friday when the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins come to town for a 7 p.m. showdown. Carolina enters with a 4-1-0 overall record and a flawless 2-0-0 conference mark while the Terps enter at 4-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the ACC.
Tar Heels Look To Continue Winning Streak
The No. 3 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will be looking to extend its current four-game winning streak and snap another streak on Friday.
The Tar Heels have a chance to go 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 1967 when the Tar Heels took down NC State, Clemson and Virginia before Maryland stopped the streak.
The 2010 senior class will be looking for its first-ever win against Maryland as the Terps own a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten string.
National Rankings
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 2 by Soccer America and No. 3 by the NSCAA. Maryland is ranked No. 11 by Soccer America and No. 5 by the NSCAA.
Series History
Maryland leads the all-time series, 42-22-3, and the Terrapins are unbeaten in the last nine meetings, including a one-goal victory a year ago.
Last 10 Meetings
2009 L, 0-1 - College Park, Md.
2008 L, 0-1 - Frisco, Texas#
L, 0-1 - Cary, N.C.%
L, 1-2 - College Park, Md.
2007 L, 1-2 OT - Chapel Hill
2006 T, 1-1 OT - Chapel Hill
2005 L, 1-4 - College Park, Md.
2004 L, 2-4 - Cary, N.C.%
L, 0-1 - College Park, Md.
2003 W, 1-0 - Chapel Hill
# - College Cup
% - ACC Tournament
Tar Heels Sit Atop ACC Table
Through the first two weekends of play in the Atlantic Coast Conference the North Carolina Tar Heels are sitting atop the table with six points after claiming road wins over NC State and Duke by 1-0 margins.
The Tar Heels are currently tied with Wake Forest at six points, while Maryland is just two points behind with four points after a 3-1 win over NC State and a 1-1 draw with Boston College.
Tar Heels Sneak By Terriers
Kirk Urso scored on a free kick outside the box to give No. 3 North Carolina a 2-1 overtime win over upstart Wofford Tuesday night at Fetzer Field.
Wofford took the lead in the 71st minute when Armin Kinigardner was tripped up in the box and buried the penalty kick.
Josh Rice hit the woodwork four minutes later, and the Tar Heels had to wait for the 88th minute to get the equalizer from Eddie Ababio.
Urso notched his first goal of the 2010 campaign less than 5 minutes in to extra time to give Carolina the 2-1 win.
Triangle Derby Champions Yet Again
For the third straight season and just the fourth time since the national championship season of 2001, Carolina defeated both Duke and NC State in the regular season to claim the unofficial Triangle derby. The Tar Heels scored a 2-1 win over the Wolfpack Sept. 12 and followed with a 2-1 victory over the Blue Devils Sept. 18 in 2009. This season the Tar Heels took down the Wolfpack and Blue Devils by 1-0 margins.
Goodwin and D Unblemished In ACC
Sophomore goalkeeper Scott Goodwin appeared in four matches a year ago as a reserve and posted a shutout against Virginia Tech. Goodwin has picked up where he left off a year ago and owns back-to-back shutouts this season against ACC competition.
Goodwin has gone more than 294 minutes of ACC action without allowing a goal in his career.
The Tar Heel defense has had a large part in Goodwin's success as they have allowed just 33 shots on the year, an average of less than seven per contest.
Tar Heels Dealt A Blow
Junior forward Billy Schuler will miss the rest of the 2010 season after suffering a shoulder injury in the 4-1 win over Seton Hall on Sept. 5. Schuler collided with the Pirate goalkeeper after chasing down a long through ball.
The injury re-aggravated one that Schuler suffered during the spring. The MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List member underwent surgery on Tuesday and will likely miss the 2010 campaign.
In Schuler's absence senior Eddie Ababio has returned to a familiar position shifting from left outside back to forward. The change has benefitted the Tar Heels as Ababio has notched two goals in three games. The Tampa, Fla., native scored the game winner against NC State and netted the game-tying score against Wofford on Tuesday.
Newcomers Strong In The Back
Senior transfer Jalil Anibaba and senior Dustin McCarty have gelled nicely in the Tar Heel backline. Anibaba arrived in January from Santa Clara where he was a three-time all-conference performer and has replaced MLS SuperDraft first round pick Zach Loyd quite nicely.
Dustin McCarty made the move from midfielder to defender this fall and appears to be comfortable through the opening three games. McCarty replaced the recently departed Jordan Graye who is now starting for the D.C. United of the MLS.
The duo of Brett King and Drew McKinney return after seeing action a year ago and help to provide a solid backline for the Tar Heels.
Results have been solid thus far, as the Tar Heels have yielded just four goals and are holding the opposition to just 6.6 shots and 3.6 corner kicks per game.
West Coast Transfers Make Impact
Midfielders Michael Farfan and Stephen McCarthy joined the Carolina program in January of 2009 and have been outstanding additions since their arrivals. Farfan led the team a year ago to its second straight College Cup while McCarthy was forced to watch from the sidelines due to injury.
McCarthy has been a steady influence in the middle for the Tar Heels as he has helped Carolina control possession in every match this season.
Joining McCarthy in the trip from Santa Clara to Chapel Hill this season is defender Jalil Anibaba who has stepped in at center back for the Tar Heels and shored up the absence of Zach Loyd.
