GoHeels Exclusive: Pieters, Men's Soccer Wins Highlight Weekend In Olympic Sports

A reserve who played in 18 of 21 matches, redshirt sophomore Jelani Pieters' 12 shots were the second most by any player who didn't score a goal for the North Carolina men's soccer team last season.

But in his first two career starts, Pieters made the most of his expanded role during the opening weekend of UNC's 2017 season.

Pieters tallied three goals on four shots, helping steer the fourth-ranked Tar Heels to a 4-2 win over No. 12 Providence on Friday at Elon's Rudd Field and a 6-1 victory against Rutgers on Sunday at Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park. He also added an assist, giving him a team-high seven points.

The most crucial of Pieters' goals came Friday. After UNC seized a 2-0 lead, Providence rallied to tie the score at 2 entering halftime. Then, in the 63rd minute, Pieters broke the deadlock when he scored from an awkward angle – elevating and flicking a ball from Zach Wright over a Providence defender and the goalkeeper.

The goal represented the first of Pieters' career and ultimately the game-winner.

Field hockey splits opening games

With five starters, including three All-Americans, gone off last year's roster, the top-ranked UNC field hockey lacks the experience it's relied on in recent seasons.

That was evident at times during Saturday's 3-2 season-opening loss against No. 11 Michigan, when eight of the 19 Tar Heels who played in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup at the University of Iowa's Grant Field saw their first collegiate action.

However, that little bit of extra experience appeared to help on Sunday. UNC held No. 17 Iowa scoreless in a 3-0 win, which redshirt freshman goalkeeper Amanda Hendry finished with three saves, including one on a penalty stroke, in her second career start.

Otto helps women's soccer rebound

Before the weekend, the most recent two-game road trip the UNC women's soccer team took to Florida came in 2013, when it lost to Florida State 1-0 before defeating Miami 4-0. In the latter, Crystal Dunn became the first Tar Heel to register a hat trick since Courtney Jones did so against Duke in 2010.

No UNC player had recorded a hat trick since Dunn entering Sunday's game at South Florida. But freshman Taylor Otto changed that.

Following a 2-1 loss in double overtime at Central Florida on Friday, Otto scored three goals, including two on penalty kicks, to help the fourth-ranked Tar Heels bounce back with a 4-2 win over the Bulls.

Freshman Alessia Russo, who joined the team last week from England, also scored in Sunday's victory. Her goal at the 73:58 mark of the match proved to be the game-winner.

Volleyball falls to Big Ten powers

After going about two years without a 3-0 loss, the 11th-ranked UNC volleyball team suffered two in as many days during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, falling to No. 4 Minnesota on Friday and No. 7 Wisconsin on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Tar Heels posted just a .071 hitting percentage across the two matches. In the loss against Minnesota, UNC hit .009, recording 27 kills and 26 errors.

One of the most intriguing storylines for the Tar Heels entering their opening weekend was how the offense would run with redshirt freshman Holly Carlton seeing her first collegiate action.

The Tar Heels employed a 5-1 system against Minnesota. With Carlton serving as a six-rotation setter, she registered 24 assists, five digs, three blocks and two aces. UNC switched to a 6-2 against the Badgers, with Carlton setting for three rotations and then hitting for three rotations as junior transfer Kendra Koetter played setter. Carlton tallied 12 assists, seven digs and an ace in the match, which Koetter finished with 11 assists and an ace.

University of North Carolina Athletics

GoHeels Exclusive: Pieters, Men's Soccer Wins Highlight Weekend In Olympic Sports

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