University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Faces Notre Dame in Regular Season Finale
October 27, 2016 | Men's Soccer
No. 3 North Carolina (11-2-2, 5-1-1) secured the ACC Coastal Division title last Saturday with the 2-0 victory over Virginia Tech. 12th-ranked Notre Dame (10-5-1, 3-3-1) sits in second place behind the Tar Heels.
BROADCAST
The match will be carried live on ACC Network Extra beginning at 7 p.m. ACC Network Extra is streamed live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
WHAT'S AT STAKE THIS WEEKEND
North Carolina has secured itself either the #1 or #2 seed in the ACC Championship by virtue of winning the Coastal Division title. The Tar Heels enter the final weekend tied with Atlantic Division leaders Wake Forest and Louisville at 16 points.
Wake Forest visits Syracuse, while Louisville hosts Clemson on Friday night. The Demon Deacons defeated Louisville, 2-1, back on Oct. 15, thus Wake holds the head-to-head tie breaker. In the event that the Tar Heels also finish tied in points with either of those clubs, goal differential in league matches will decide who captures the top seed.
CAROLINA 8TH IN NCAA RPI
Carolina is No. 8 in the latest RPI released by the NCAA on Oct. 24. The Tar Heels' schedule is made up of six teams ranked in the top-25: Clemson (1), Syracuse (7), Notre Dame (11), Virginia (15), Boston College (19) and Virginia Tech (22).
NCAA LEADERS
Carolina ranks 2nd in the nation in assists (42), and 7th in scoring offense (2.2 goals per game). The Heels are also third with a 0.45 goals-against-average and T2nd in shutout percentage (0.67).
SCORING LEADERS
Zach Wright leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC with 16 points on five goals and is tied with freshman Cam Lindley with a team-leading six assists. Nils Bruening is second on the club (T7th in ACC) with 15 points, that includes a team-best seven goals, while Tucker Hume (14 points) and Walker Hume (12 points) round out the four double-figure scorers for the Tar Heels.
Jon Gallagher of Notre Dame leads the ACC with 28 points on 11 goals and six assists. Brandon Aubrey is fifth in the league with 17 points on eight goals and one assist.
SERIES HISTORY
The series between UNC and ND is tied 1-1-1 since the Irish joined the ACC in 2013. Last year, Colton Storm had one goal and two assists in the 4-2 Tar Heel victory at Fetzer Field.
NEXT UP
North Carolina will host an ACC Championship quarterfinal match on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.
