University of North Carolina Athletics
#6 Tar Heels Open 2018 Season Thursday
August 15, 2018 | Women's Soccer
UNC will host Illinois at Finley Field South
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT
TAR HEELS OPEN SEASON WITH GAMES AGAINST ILLINOIS AND OHIO STATE: The University of North Carolina women's soccer team begins its 40th season of varsity competition this Thursday when it hosts the University of Illinois Fighting Illini at Finley Field South at 5 p.m. The Tar Heels will also play a second home game this weekend when Carolina hosts the Ohio State Buckyes Sunday at Finley Field South.
All of UNC's regular season home games will be played this year at Finley Field South, the Tar Heels' home practice facility located on Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill. Carolina had hoped to be in its new Carolina Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium by this fall but construction is behind schedule. The new stadium is located on the site of the old Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill which stood from 1935-2017.
Carolina played its home games last year at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. and the Tar Heels will play post-season games there in 2018 if Carolina qualifies for ACC and NCAA Tournament action.
In the meantime, Carolina is doing everything it can to produce a fan friendly atmosphere at Finley Field South so that this year's Senior Class can play its final season on campus in Chapel Hill. Altogether, UNC has nine home regular season games scheduled for the 2018 campaign.
ADMISSION AND PARKING: University of North Carolina home women's soccer matches for 2018 will be played at Finley South Field, 170 Mason Farm Road, which is adjacent to the OWASA Mason Farm Water Treatment Center. This space was the 18th fairway in the "old" Finley Golf Course before the course renovation in 1999. There are a number of limitations from a spectator standpoint, and significant planning and effort has been invested to provide a positive student-athlete and fan experience.
All fans are encouraged to go to GoHeels.com in advance of the games to access a story and attached map with parking information for the 2018 season. The parking map is downloadable to print out as a PDF document.
The following parking information is conveyed for fans planning to attend home games. Disability accessible parking will be available in the Finley North Parking Lot at 147 Old Mason Farm Road. A disability accessible vehicle and a disability golf cart will be available to assist with those needing mobility help. Public parking is located at the Finley North Parking Lot, Old Mason Farm Parking Lot, Finley Golf Course as well as the UNC Spine Center at the corner of N.C. Highway 54 and Finley Golf Course Road. Shuttle vehicles will assist with transportation of fans from the parking locations to the field and back. An old pedestrian bridge connecting the Finley Golf Shop and Naismith Grill with the Finley South Fields will also serve as an access point for fans to use.
Admission will be free and concessions will be available. Fans are encouraged to bring folding chairs and blankets to sit on the sloped viewing area. Bleachers are not able to be utilized due to a Duke Power Easement limiting any structures being placed.
MEDIA COVERAGE FRIDAY: Both Thursday's game against Illinois and Sunday's game against Ohio State will be webcast nationally on ACC Network Extra with live streaming on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Dean Linke is the play by play announcer for both matches. Live stats will also be available on GoHeels.com via Stat Broadcast.
DORRANCE ON CUSP OF 1,000 TOTAL COLLEGIATE COACHING VICTORIES: North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance begins his 40th season as the Tar Heel women's soccer head coach in 2018. He also served as the head coach of the UNC men's soccer program for 12 seasons from 1977 through 1988. So this fall marks his 42nd season as a UNC head coach, including 10 seasons in which he coached two sports at once.
Dorrance heads into the Illinois and Ohio State games this weekend just two victories short of 1,000 total collegiate coaching victories.
Dorrance achieved his 800th career victory as the women's head coach on Sunday, October 9, 2016 when the Tar Heels beat Wake Forest 2-1 at Fetzer Field. In his 39 years, his teams have gone 826-70-38. His men's teams at Carolina achieved a record of 172-65-21 in his 12 seasons at the helm from 1977 through 1988 when he was succeeded by Elmar Bolowich.
Altogether, Dorrance's teams have won 998 games in his remarkable coaching tenure in Chapel Hill. His combined women's and men's records are 998 victories, just 135 losses and 59 draws in 51 seasons of collegiate coaching.
Between 1979 and 1988, Dorrance coached the Tar Heel women's and men's teams concurrently. Also during that time period he also served coach of the U.S. women's national team from 1986 through 1994.
WELCOMING ALUMNAE COACHES TO CHAPEL HILL: North Carolina's first four home games will be played against teams coached by Tar Heel alumnae who played for coach Anson Dorrance at Carolina.
Illinois is coached by Janet Rayfield, UNC Class of 1983. She is currently in her 17th season as the head coach of the Fighting Illini. Rayfield lettered on the first four UNC teams, winning national championships in 1981 and 1982. To this day, Rayfield ranks third in career points at Carolina with 223 and second in career goals in UNC history with 93.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are coached by Lori Walker-Hock, who is now in her 22nd season as the head coach in Columbus. Walker lettered at Carolina from 1989-91, winning NCAA titles each of those seasons. Walker ranks second in career save percentage at UNC at .902 and she is fifth in career goals against average at 0.42.
Next week, UNC will host Texas on Wednesday, August 22 and UCF on Sunday, August 26. The Longhorns are coach by Angela Kelly, UNC Class of 1995. Kelly was a first-team All-America midfielder at Carolina in 1994 and she played on four NCAA championship teams as a Tar Heel, losing only one game in her career. Kelly is in her seventh season as the head coach at Texas.
UCF is coached by Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak who is now in her sixth season as the head coach of the Knights. Roberts played at Carolina from 1995-98, winning national championships in 1996 and 1997. She was a first-team All-America in 1996 and 1998. She won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games and she was also a member of the U.S. team which won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
TAR HEELS RANKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON USC COACHES POLL: North Carolina begins the 2018 season ranked sixth in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches and third in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
Carolina has seven regular season matches scheduled against teams in the USC (formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America) preseason poll. That includes a match at Stanford, the defending NCAA champion and recipient of 34 of the 35 first-place votes in the poll. The other first-place vote went to 2017 NCAA runner-up UCLA.
Preseason United Soccer Coaches Women's Poll - August 7, 2018
Team, Poll Points, Previous Rank, 2017 W-L-T
1. Stanford, 874, 1, 22-1-0
2. UCLA, 832, 2, 18-3-2
3. Duke, 791, 3, 23-2-0
4. Penn State, 718, 5, 15-5-4
5. South Carolina, 704, 4, 19-2-1
6. North Carolina, 683, 8, 17-3-2
7. Florida, 662, 6, 17-7-0
8. Virginia, 600, 9, 13-6-4
9. West Virginia, 579, 10, 16-4-3
10. Florida State, 546, 15, 13-7-1
11. Texas A&M, 503, 12, 18-2-2
12. USC, 484, 13, 15-3-2
13. Princeton, 473, 7, 16-3-1
14. Notre Dame, 343, 18, 10-7-5
15. Baylor, 334, 11, 15-6-3
16. UCF, 292, 17, 13-2-3
17. Texas, 279, 14, 14-4-3
18. Pepperdine, 237, 16, 15-3-3
19. Santa Clara, 212, 20, 15-7-1
20. NC State, 204, 21, 15-5-2
21. Washington State, 167, 19, 10-8-4
22. Georgetown, 155, 24, 15-3-4
23. Ohio State, 146, 23, 15-5-1
24. Rutgers, 134, 22, 13-2-6
25. Tennessee, 130, 25, 15-4-2
Italicized teams are 2018 regular season opponents.
TWO TAR HEELS NAMED TO MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST: United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club has announced the 45 NCAA Division I women's soccer players named to the 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, presented by World Wide Technology.
The University of North Carolina has two representatives on the women's 45-member watch list. The Tar Heel duo is senior defender Julia Ashley of Verona, N.J., who is now in her fourth year as a starter at right back for the Tar Heels, and sophomore forward Alessia Russo of Kent, England, who was the 2017 ACC Freshman of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the 2017 ACC Tournament.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. This year's winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
The MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists are compiled by members of the United Soccer Coaches Men's and Women's NCAA Division I All-America Committees. Fifteen semifinalists will be named for both the men's and women's MAC Hermann Trophy near the end of the college season based on voting by NCAA Division I coaches and from those candidates, three finalists will ultimately be placed on the ballot for the coveted award.
TAR HEELS OUTLAST WOLFPACK IN EXHIBITION MATCH: In its only action of the 2018 preseason, the University of North Carolina women's soccer team defeated NC State 3-2 Thursday, August 9 in an exhibition match at Dail Soccer Stadium and Track Complex on the NCSU campus. Carolina's second exhibition match at Duke on August 12 was cancelled due to rain.
The Tar Heels out shot the Wolfpack 13-4 in the match and had three corner kicks to one for NC State. The match was tied 1-1 at the half but Carolina out shot the Wolfpack 7-1 in the second 45 minutes, scoring twice before the Wolfpack cut the final margin to a single goal.
NC State broke to an early 1-0 lead before the Tar Heels answered with three goals before surrendering late in the match.
NC State opened the scored just 2:29 into the match when Ricarda Walkling scored from 20 yards out from the right side of the penalty box off an assist by Maxine Blackwood.
Carolina tied the game before halftime after Taylor Otto was taken down in the penalty box at 27:47. Dorian Bailey converted the ensuing penalty kick to even the game at 1-1.
UNC took the lead for good at 47:17 when Julia Ashley scored from seven yards out into the lower left side on a header. Annie Kingman delivered a corner kick that Ashley put away for the goal. Carolina got the eventual game-winning goal at 72:11 when Alex Kimball tallied after taking a cross at the left post from freshman Mary Elliott McCabe.
NC State finished off the scoring a little over two minutes later at 74:45 on a breakaway with Tziarra King scoring the goal and Ricarda Walkling delivering the assist.
TAR HEELS FAVORED TO WIN 2018 ACC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP: Defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion North Carolina is the preseason favorite to win another conference title in a vote of the league's 14 head coaches. The ACC Office in Greensboro released the preseason poll on August 6.
The 21-time ACC champion Tar Heels received four first-place votes and 183 points, followed by Florida State (five first-place votes, 174 points), Virginia (two first-place votes, 173 points) and Duke (three first-place votes, 151 points). Duke won last year's regular season championship at 10-0 while North Carolina finished second at 8-0-2. The second-seeded Tar Heels defeated the top-seeded Blue Devils 1-0 in the 2017 ACC Tournament championship game in Charleston, S.C.
In the 2018 preseason balloting, NC State placed fifth in the voting, followed by Clemson, Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Louisville. Boston College placed 10th followed by Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Miami and Pitt.
North Carolina sophomore forward Alessia Russo was named to the 2018 preseason All-ACC women's soccer team. She was first-team All-ACC last year as well as the co-Freshman of the Year in the conference and the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 ACC women's soccer tournament.
2018 Preseason All-ACC Women's Soccer Team
Samantha Coffey, So., M, Boston College
Sam Staab, Sr., D, Clemson
Kayla McCoy, Sr., F, Duke
Ella Stevens, Jr., M, Duke
Deyna Castellanos, Jr., F, Florida State
Natalia Kuikka, Sr., D., Florida State
Emina Ekic, So., M, Louisville
Alessia Russo, So., F, North Carolina
Tziarra King, Jr., F, NC State
Taryn Torres, So., M, Virginia
Mandy McGlynn, Jr., GK, Virginia Tech
Preseason ACC Coaches Poll
North Carolina (183, 4 first place votes)
Florida State (174, 5 first place votes)
Virginia (173, 2 first-place votes)
Duke (151, 3 first-place votes)
NC State (144)
Clemson (120)
Notre Dame (111)
Wake Forest (104)
Louisville (75)
Boston College (72)
Virginia Tech (66)
Syracuse (40)
Miami (34)
Pitt (23)
ACC women's soccer teams will kick off the 2018 season on Thursday, Aug. 16. The top eight teams in the final league standings will advance to the ACC Championship, which will get underway with quarterfinal matches at campus sites on Sunday, Oct. 28. The semifinals and final are scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 4 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
TRIO OF TAR HEELS COMPETE IN FIFA U20 WORLD CUP: A total of three current University of North Carolina women's soccer players competed at the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup held Aug. 5-24 in the Brittany region of northwestern France.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Fox and freshman midfielder Brianna Pinto represnted the U.S. team at the competition. The American side went 1-1-1 in group play and did not advance to the quarterfinal round. Fox and Pinto flew home from France and rejoined their teammates for practice on Wednesday, August 15.
Sophomore forward Alessia Russo competed for the British side which won its group. England will face off against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round on Friday, August 17 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Fox also played on the U.S. U20 Team two years ago in 2016 when she was a high school senior. That squad which also included current UNC players Jessie Scarpa, a redshirt senior forward, and Taylor Otto, a redshirt sophomore forward.
RECORD NUMBER OF TAR HEELS NAMED TO ACC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL: For the third year in a row and the fifth time in the past six years, a record number of Tar Heels earned spots on the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll for the 2017-18 school year. North Carolina placed 391 student-athletes, an all-time high, on the ACC's 62nd-annual honor roll. It's the sixth year in a row that more than 300 Tar Heel student-athletes have earned the recognition.
The ACC Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the full academic year. UNC's record total marked an improvement of six over last year, when the Tar Heels had an all-time high of 385 students honored. The number of UNC students honored for 2017-18 is roughly half of Carolina's total number of student-athletes and is an improvement of more than 100 student-athletes over the past decade.
Tar Heel women's soccer players included on the 2017-18 ACC Academic Honor Roll included freshman Miah Araba, junior Dorian Bailey, senior Megan Buckingham, sophomore Natalie Chandler, senior Cannon Clough, junior Nicole Crutchfield, freshman Emily Fox, sophomore Morgan Goff, junior Megan Joyner, senior Annie Kingman, junior Kate Morris, freshman Tayor Otto, sophomore Zoe Redei, senior Frances Reuland, junior Jessie Scarpa, freshman Laura Sparling, sophomore Abby Staker, senior Maya Worth and freshman Lotte Wubben-Moy.
TAR HEEL ALUMNA PARLOW CHOSEN FOR NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME: The U.S. Soccer National Hall of Fame announced May 31 that Cindy Parlow, UNC Class of 1999, has been selected for induction in the Hall's 2018 class.
Parlow played at Carolina from 1995-98. She was a three-time National Player of the Year selection, two-time NCAA champion and two-time College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America during her career. She played on the U.S. National Team for nine years, retiring in 2004 after winning the 1999 World Cup championship and 1996 and 2004 Olympic gold medals. Since 2005 she has been a successful coach on the collegiate, professional and club level with stops all across the United States
After starting for four years at forward for the Tar Heels from 1995-98, the midfielder was a key player on the U.S. Women's National Team during a remarkable stretch of years in which the program was establishing itself as a one of the best in the world. She was the youngest member of the Olympic gold medal-winning team in 1996 and also played at the 2000 Summer Games when the U.S. won a silver medal. Most notably though, she was a part of the team that would win the 1999 FIFA World Cup and scored two goals in that historic tournament, including the first in a 2-0 semifinal victory against Brazil in front of 73,123 fans at the old Stanford Stadium.
Parlow served as the head coach of the Portland Thorns in 2013. She led the Thorns to the inaugural National Women's Soccer League title that year after serving as an assistant coach at Carolina from 2006-12.
When she wrapped up her international career in 2004, Parlow had played for the USA 158 times. Prior to that, she scored 68 goals for the Tar Heels which she led to back-to-back national championships in 1996 and 1997 and won the Herrmann Trophy as the nation's top player in 1997 and 1998. She was also named the 1998 U.S. Soccer Young Female of the Year.
Parlow had a decorated history with the U.S. Women's National Team. She retired as the squad's fifth all-time leading scorer during an era in which she helped the U.S. women win the World Cup in 1999 and claim third place in 2003. Her 158 caps and 75 goals also earned her two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal and, to this day, she remains the youngest soccer player, male or female, to win an Olympic gold medal and a World Cup.
Parlow also served on the coaching staff for the U.S. U-14 & U-15 Girls' National Teams from 2010-2013.
FOURTEEN TAR HEELS ON NWSL OPENING DAY ROSTERS IN 2018: The National Women's Soccer League, the premier professional league for women's soccer in the United States, opened its fifth season of operation with games in late March 2018. The University of North Carolina's women's soccer program was well represented as 14 former Tar Heels were on opening day rosters for the league this year. UNC was also represented by 14 players on opening day rosters in 2017. Sixteen players were on opening day rosters in 2016. A 15th Tar Heel joined the league later in the 2018 when 2007 Tar Heel alumna Heather O'Reilly became a member of the Carolina Courage of the NWSL after playing in England for two years.
Coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heel program continues to be one of the best pipelines for players to earn roster spots in the league. Listed below are the 14 alumni playing in the league as of opening day 2018. The year associated with their names indicates the final year they played for the Tar Heel program.
CHICAGO RED STARS - Summer Green, Forward, 2015
HOUSTON DASH - Amber Brooks, Defender, 2012; Kealia Ohai, Forward, 2013
NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE - Crystal Dunn, Forward, 2013; Jessica McDonald, Forward, 2009; Heather O'Reilly, Midfield, 2006 (joined in midseason)
ORLANDO PRIDE - Ashlyn Harris, Goalkeeper, 2009
PORTLAND THORNS FC - Meghan Klingenberg, Defender, 2010; Tobin Heath, Midfielder, 2009; Meg Morris, Forward, 2013
SEATTLE REIGN FC - Yael Averbuch, Defender, 2008; Allie Long, Midfielder, 2008
UTAH ROYALS FC - Brooke Elby, Defender, 2014; Alexa Newfield, Midfielder, 2015; Katie Bowen, Forward, 2015
TRIO OF TAR HEELS NAMED ALL-ACC ACADEMIC FOR 2017-18: Three North Carolina women's soccer players were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team, announced February 1 by the league. Tar Heels named to the squad, which recognizes combined academic and athletic performance, were senior Megan Buckingham and juniors Julia Ashley and Dorian Bailey.
Buckingham, from Novi, Mich., graduated in December with a major in media and journalism. She was named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second year in a row.
Ashley is from Verona, N.J., and Bailey is from Mission, Kan. Both are majoring in exercise and sport science.
To be considered for the All-ACC Academic teams, conference student-athletes must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average for the fall semester, as well as a cumulative 3.0 over the course of their college careers.
THREE TAR HEEL PLAYERS CHOSEN IN 2018 NWSL DRAFT: January 18, 2018 was the annual draft day for the National Women's Soccer League and it was good news for a trio of Tar Heel seniors who had filed for the draft.
All three Tar Heels were chosen between the 24th and 32nd selections in the draft amongst the overall picks.
Midfielder Megan Buckingham was chosen in the third round of the draft by the Chicago Red Stars, the closest franchise to her Novi, Michigan home. Buckingham was the 24th pick overall.
Midfielder Abby Elinsky was selected in the third round of the draft by the Houston Dash of the NWSL. She was the 30th pick overall in the draft. Elinsky, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, played three years at Carolina after transferring from Illinois.
Midfielder Joanna Boyles was also picked in the draft. A fifth-year senior at Carolina in 2017, Boyles missed the 2016 season with an ACL tear but came back to have a tremendous senior year in 2017. Boyles was chosen by the Boston Breakers in the fourth round as the 32nd pick overall.
The 2018 NWSL season begins in March. Three of the four Tar Heels who registered for the draft were selected by NWSL teams.
DORRANCE INDUCTED INTO USC HALL OF FAME: North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance and former U.S. men's national team coach Bruce Arena, two of the country's most successful soccer coaches, became the newest members of the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame on January 19, 2018. Both individuals were inducted as the Class of 2018 during the annual Awards Banquet at the United Soccer Coaches Convention inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.
Dorrance had recently completed his 41st season of overall coaching at the University of North Carolina. He has led the Tar Heels' women's soccer program to 22 national championships, becoming the first coach in NCAA history to win 20 titles in a single sport. In addition to 172 wins as the UNC men's soccer coach for 12 seasons from 1977-88, Dorrance has amassed 826 wins – the most by any coach in college soccer history – in 39 seasons since founding the women's soccer program at his alma mater in 1979. U.S. Soccer hired Dorrance to simultaneously lead the United States Women's National Team from 1986-1994 and under Dorrance's direction, the U.S. won the first FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991.
Altogether, Dorrance has coached Tar Heel teams to 998 wins beginning in September 1977 when he started coaching the men's squad. From 1986-88, he simultaneously coached the women's team at Carolina, the men's team at Carolina and the U.S. Women's National Team for three years.
A member of United Soccer Coaches since 1975, Dorrance is a six-time national Coach of the Year honoree on the women's side and a one-time honoree on the men's side. He has received numerous other accolades from the United Soccer Coaches: 1992 Honorary All-American, 2001 Mike Berticelli Excellence in Coaching Education Award, 2006 Women's Soccer Award of Excellence, 2006 Bill Jeffrey College Long-Term Service Award and the 2010 Honor Award. In addition, Dorrance was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the prestigious Werner Fricker Builder Award from U.S. Soccer in 2017.
The United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to honor achievement in coaching, work on behalf of the association and lifetime contributions to the game of soccer. Each year, up to three inductees are elected into the association's Hall of Fame based on selections made through balloting of the Hall of Fame Committee. Click here for list of United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame members.
UNC ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: In 2018, North Carolina will be seeking an NCAA Tournament bid for the 37th straight year. The Tar Heels are the only team in the country to have earned an NCAA Tournament in each of the 36 years years the NCAA has sponsored a championship in women's soccer through the 2017 campaign
North Carolina is 127-13-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in its 36 appearances in the championship. In the previous 36 years, UNC has won 21 NCAA championships, lost in the championship game three times and lost in the semifinals three times. That's 27 trips to the College Cup in 36 years of tournament play.
UNC has lost outright just 13 times in NCAA Tournament games, including once in the quarterfinals, five times in the third round and once in the second round. On two occasions, UNC failed to advance on penalty kicks - against Florida State in the 2005 quarterfinals and against UCF in the 2011 third round.
TAR HEELS DOWN DUKE TO WIN 2017 ACC CHAMPIONSHIP: Carolina comes into the 2018 season as the defending Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament champion.
The University of North Carolina women's soccer team (ranked #4, seeded #2) defeated top-seeded and second-ranked Duke Sunday afternoon, November 5 to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Championship at MUSC Health Stadium in Charleston, S.C. Zoe Redei's goal on a rebound in the first minute of the second half was the difference as the Tar Heels prevailed by a score of 1-0 over their arch rivals. That was the same score by which the Tar Heels had beaten NC State Friday night in the semifinals on Alessia Russo's second-half unassisted goal.
With the victory, the Tar Heels earned their first ACC championship since 2009 and their 21st ACC Tournament title overall since the first event in 1988. The Tar Heels also won the ACC title in 1987 when it was contested in a round robin format. The tournament title also earned Carolina the automatic bid to the NCAA championship from the ACC.
Carolina outshot the Blue Devils 11-10 in the game and had a 3-0 edge in corner kicks. UNC had five shots on goal in the game and Duke had just two. E.J. Proctor made four saves for the Blue Devils and allowed the only goal of the game while Samantha Leshnak had two saves for Carolina. Leshnak recorded her 11th solo shutout of the season in 19 games with nine of those shutouts coming against ACC teams.
Alessio Russo was named the tournament MVP after scoring the game-winning goal against NC State in the semifinals and assisting on the game-winning goal in the championship match.
The complete All-Tournament Team is as follows:
Veronica Latsko, Virginia
Tziarra King, NC State
EJ Proctor, Duke
Ella Stevens, Duke
Schuyler DeBree, Duke
Kayla McCoy, Duke
Julia Ashley, North Carolina
Joanna Boyles, North Carolina
Dorian Bailey, North Carolina
Abby Elinsky, North Carolina
Alessia Russo, North Carolina – MVP
The only goal of the game came in the first minute of the second half. Alessia Russo had a shot in box on the left side that was deflected by a Duke defender. The ball fell directly into the path of Zoe Redei who took a couple of dribbles and then blasted a shot from 10 yards out into the top shelf of the goal for the eventual winning score. It was Redei's second goal of the season, both in the last seven days and both on rebounds.
Carolina had two tremendous chances to score in the opening 16 minutes of the game but were denied on both occasions by reaction saves by Proctor. Julia Ashley's header off a free kick by Joanna Boyles at 3:24 was deflected off the right post for a corner kick. Redei had a close-in header in the box saved by Proctor in the 16th minute. Duke placed only two shots on goal, both saved by Leshnak. The Tar Heel junior keeper saved a shot from distance by Ella Stevens in the 72nd minute while Leshnak denied Karlie Paschall from close range in the 86th minute, the best Blue Devil chance of the game.
North Carolina heads into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 15-2-2. Duke is 19-2-0 on the season. The only losses for the Blue Devils this year came against North Carolina. The Tar Heels beat Duke 2-1 on August 18 in the season opener between the two teams. The loss in the ACC Tournament snapped a school-record 19-game winning streak for the nationally second-ranked Blue Devils (19-2).
UNC IN ACC TOURNAMENT: Carolina will once again be seeking a berth in the 2018 ACC Tournament as the season progresses. UNC has qualified for a spot in every tournament dating back to the first event in 1988. The top eight teams in the 2018 regular season standings will earn spots in this coming year's tournament.
After winning the 2017 ACC Tournament, North Carolina is 64-5-5 all-time in the ACC Tournament dating to the first tournament in 1988. North Carolina has an all-time winning percentage of 89.9 percent in ACC Tournament games.
The championship last year was the 21st in ACC Tournament play for Carolina in the 30-year history of the tournament. Florida State has won five ACC titles, Virginia has won two and Wake Forest and NC State have won one each.
SERIES RECORDS VERSUS THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: North Carolina and Illinois will be playing for the third time in history on Thursday. UNC leads the all-time series 2-0. Both previous meetings took place in NCAA Tournament games at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. UNC defeated the Fighting Illini 3-0 in the 2008 NCAA third round. The Tar Heels prevailed against Illinois 9-2 in the 2012 NCAA Tournament second round.
Carolina is 5-0 all-time against Ohio State. Two of the Tar Heel wins came in Columbus and two have come at neutral sites. This will be the second straight time the two teams have met in Chapel Hill. UNC won at Fetzer Field 1-0 in 2014. All five previous meetings have been regular season meetings.
CONGRATS TO TIFF: As North Carolina begins to start its 2018 season with four successive games against teams coached by Tar Heel alumnae, a shout out is in order for Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak who last season became the first Tar Heel to defeat her mentor Anson Dorrance in a head-to-head encounter.
North Carolina lost for only the 68th time in its 39-year women's soccer history on Friday, August 25 when UCF came from behind to defeat the Tar Heels 2-1 in double overtime at Orlando, Fla.
Roberts was an All-America midfielder at Carolina, playing for the Tar Heels from 1995-98 and winning NCAA titles in 1996 and 1997. She graduated from Carolina in the Class of 1999.
CONSISTENCY, STATISTICAL ANOMALY OR JUST VERY GOOD?: North Carolina enters Thursday's match against Illinois with an all-time winning percentage of .905 dating back to the program's first year in 1979.
The fact is that UNC's program under the direction of head coach Anson Dorrance has been remarkably consistent in his 40 years as head coach regardless of where or when the Tar Heels took the pitch.
Under Dorrance, UNC has won 90.5 percent of its games overall, 86.7 percent of its ACC regular-season games, 89.9 percent of its ACC Tournament games, 89.9 percent of its NCAA Tournament games, 91.2 percent of its home games and 89.9 percent of its road and neutral site games.
TAR HEELS ELECT TEAM CAPTAINS: The North Carolina women's soccer team has elected three players as team captains for the 2018 campaign. The captains are graduate student and midfielder Annie Kingman of Woodside, Calif., senior defender Julia Ashley of Verona, N.J. and redshirt sophomore forward Taylor Otto of Apex, N.C.
TV SCHEDULE FOR UNC WOMEN'S SOCCER IN 2018 ANNOUNCED: The list of 2018 University of North Carolina women's soccer games to be televised and webcast in affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference was announced on August 15.
Additions to the TV list could come from other networks at a future date and game times on the designated dates are currently tentative.
Here's a rundown of UNC women's soccer television/webcasting dates so far. ACC & NCAA Tournament games are pending if the Tar Heels earn tourney invites and advance round by round.
Seventeen of Carolina's 18 regular season games are currently scheduled to be televised.
ACC Network Extra Games (with live streaming on ESPN3 and WatchESPN)
August 16, Illinois at UNC, 5 p.m.
August 19, Ohio State at UNC, 4 p.m.
August 22, Texas at UNC, 5 p.m.
August 26, UCF at UNC, 2 p.m.
August 30, UNC vs. Providence at Durham, N.C., 4:30 p.m.
September 2, UNC vs. Marquette at Durham, N.C., 12 p.m.
September 14, UNC at Florida State, 7 p.m.
September 20, Pittsburgh at UNC, 4 p.m.
September 23, UNC at Clemson, 1 p.m.
September 29, Louisville at UNC, 12:30 p.m.
October 4, UNC at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
October 7, UNC at Syracuse, 1 p.m.
October 13, UNC at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.
October 18, Boston College at UNC, 3 p.m.
October 21, Miami at UNC, 1 p.m.
October 25, Wake Forest at UNC, 3 p.m.
Pac 12 Network Game
September 9, UNC at Stanford, 5:30 p.m.
TAR HEELS ANNOUNCE FIVE NEWCOMERS FOR 2018 SQUAD: The University of North Carolina signed five prospective student-athletes to National Letters-Of-Intent for the Tar Heel women's soccer program on February 21, 2018. Tar Heel head coach, beginning his 40th year as UNC women's soccer coach this fall, announced the signings.
Claudia Dickey – Goalkeeper – Charlotte, N.C. – Charlotte Latin School
Rachael Dorwart – Midfielder – Mechanicsburg, Pa. – Cumberland Valley High School
Rachel Jones – Forward – Lawrenceville, Ga. – Collins Hill High School
Mary Elliott McCabe – Forward – Charlotte, N.C. – Charlotte Latin School
Brianna Pinto – Midfielder – Durham, N.C. – Charles E. Jordan High School
In the Top Drawer Soccer Girls IMG Academy Class of 2018 rankings, Pinto is the No. 3-ranked recruit, Dorwart is the No. 8-ranked recruit, Jones is the No. 9-ranked recruit, Dickey is the No. 24-ranked recruit and McCabe is the No. 124-ranked recruit.
Top Drawer Soccer ranks the Tar Heels' 2018 recruiting class as the nation's third best, even with just five student-athletes in the class. USC has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class and Stanford has the No, 2-rated class.
Dickey is the daughter of Alex and Christa Dickey. She will be a two-sport athlete at Carolina, also playing basketball. Dickey was a member of the U18 and U20 National Women's Soccer Teams in 2016 and 2017. As a junior, she was an All-America and All-State soccer player at Charlotte Latin and the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Player of the Year. She also made All-State in soccer as a sophomore when she was a second-team All-America selection. She was named the Greater Charlotte Goalkeeper of the Year three straight years from 2015-17. She was also named All-State in soccer as a freshman in 2015. In her career at Charlotte Latin, she has played 3,276 minutes in goal, allowing just 16 goals and making 260 saves. Her career goals against average was .391.
Dorwart, the daughter of Chuck and Shannon Dorwart, graduated early from Cumberland Valley High School and enrolled at Carolina in January 2018. She played four years of high school soccer, but was limited to 50 games played as an attacking center midfielder due to national team commitments and injuries but nevertheless scored 76 goals and 36 assists in those 50 games. She set a school record with 47 goals as a sophomore. Dorwart was named an NSCAA high school All-America as a sophomore and junior and a three-year All-State selection. She was the 2016 Pennsylvania State Gatorade Player of the Year. She has been a member of the U.S. National Teams at the U14, U15, U17, U18 and U19 levels. She played her club soccer for Penn Fusion Soccer Academy.
Jones is the daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Jones. She will graduate this spring from Collins Hill High School. Jones has been on U.S. youth national teams for four years and is currently a member of the U18 women's national team. As a junior in 2017, she was named Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, Atlanta Journal Constitution Player of the Year and a USAA All-America. She was also 2017 NSCAA high school state player of the year and the 2017 Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Year. She broke Collins Hill's single season scoring record with 41 goals in 2017.
McCabe is the daughter of Elliott and Jennifer McCabe. She will graduate from Charlotte Latin School this spring where she has led her high school soccer team to 3A NCISAA state titles her freshman through junior seasons. She has played club soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy on the ECNL level since age 13. At Charlotte Latin, she earned All-State, All-Region and All-Conference honors her freshman through junior years. With Charlotte Soccer Academy, she has been a team captain since the U16 level and led the team in scoring for each of the past four years. Through her junior year at Charlotte Latin, she has 185 career points on 74 goals and 37 assists, leading a team which has gone 54-3-8 in points three times and goals three times as well.
Pinto is a dynamic midfielder and the daughter of a pair of Tar Heel alumni and former student-athletes. Her father, Hassan, played soccer at Carolina, and her mother, Meleata, was a softball player. Both of her brothers play soccer, including Hassan, who starts at right back for Elon. She played her freshman year at Jordan High School and since has concentrated on her club and national team commitments. She was a member of CASL ECNL from 2014-17 and NTH Tophat Development Academy beginning in 2018. She has been a U14, U17, U19, U20 and U23 national team member already in her young career. She is the youngest player in the modern era to make a tournament roster for the senior women's national team at the March 2017 She Believes Cup. She competed for the 2016 US U20 CONCACAF and 2018 US U20 CONCACAF teams which qualified for the World Cups in both of those years. She was the 2015 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in N.C. as a freshman when she scored 24 goals and added eight assists for Jordan. She is ranked as the #1 midfielder in the Class of 2018 by Top Drawer Soccer.
DORRANCE EARNS 800TH WIN: On Sunday, October 9, 2016, the University of North Carolina women's soccer program achieved a pair of monumental milestones in program history - the program's 800th victory in its 900th game.
The North Carolina women's soccer program began as a varsity team in the 1979 season. The Tar Heels played the program's 900th game on October 9, 2016 when Carolina rallied past Wake Forest 2-1 at Fetzer Field.
In the process, head coach Anson Dorrance earned his 800th career victory as the head coach of the Tar Heels as the symmetry lined up perfectly.
FOLLOW CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER ON TWITTER: Fans are able to follow Carolina women's soccer through Twitter updates at both @ncwomenssoccer (athletic communications office account) and @uncwomenssoccer (players and staff account). Fans can check during the week, in-game and post-game for live news, videos and links to all your favorite Carolina soccer news. Carolina's Twitter sites have now combined to total an amazing 39,700 followers, the most in college women's soccer. @uncwomenssoccer has over 22,800 followers while @ncwomenssoccer has over 16,900 followers.
JUST FOUR TIMES SINCE 1986: Carolina's 3-0 setback at USC on September 11, 2016 marked only the fourth loss for the Tar Heels by a margin of more than one goal since the 1985 season.
Carolina has played 787 games since the end of the 1985 season, losing by more than one goal just four times.
That streak traces back to the opening game of the 1986 season against George Mason, a 3-3 tie.
After losing to George Mason 2-0 in the 1985 NCAA Tournament championship game, the Tar Heels went 25 years without losing a game by more than one goal before that streak ended in 2010.
Since 1986, UNC has only lost four games by more than one goal. Two of those four losses have come against Virginia. The Tar Heels fell to Notre Dame 4-1 on November 20, 2010, lost to Virginia 2-0 on October 20, 2013, was upended by Virginia 2-0 on November 7, 2014 and lost to USC 3-0 on September 11, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW...: North Carolina would have to lose its next 766 games in a row for head coach Anson Dorrance to have a .500 coaching winning percentage in his career at the helm of the Tar Heels.
UNC enters this Thursday's game against Illinois with an all-time record of 826-70-38. Dorrance has coached the Tar Heels in all 934 of their games.
THE ALL-TIME RECORD: UNC heads into its match against Illinois with a record of 826-70-38 overall, a winning percentage of .905. The Tar Heels have an all-time winning percentage of .9899 in NCAA Tournament games, almost the exact same winning percentage in the most important games it plays every year.
AVERAGE RECORD PER YEAR: UNC's average record per year in its 40 years of soccer is 21.15 wins per year, 1.77 losses per year and 1.0 ties per year.
SHUTOUTS ARE INFREQUENT: UNC's 0-0 tie against Louisville on October 22, 2017 was only the 54th time the Tar Heels have been shut out in their history. Altogether, UNC has played 934 matches since 1979.
The Tar Heels have been blanked on the scoreboard in only 5.8 percent of the games they have played in during their history. Carolina has suffered 40 shutout losses in its history. The Tar Heels have also played 14 scoreless ties in their history history.
Only five times in UNC history have the Tar Heels been shutout in back-to-back games in the same season.
That happened against Portland and Florida in 2012, against Notre Dame and Florida State in 2013, against UCLA and Pepperdine in 2014, against Florida State and Duke in 2015 and against USC and NC State in 2016.
17 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAS SINCE 2005: On November 26, 2013, UNC junior defender Caitlin Ball of Chapel Hill, N.C. was chosen as a first-team Academic All-America by Capital One and the College Sports Information Directors of America.
UNC has had 17 selections for the Capital One Academic All-America first, second and third teams since 2005.
Carolina also had seven women's soccer players named Academic All-Americas from 1983-2001, giving the program 24 selections since the Academic All-America program began in 1983. Academic All-Americas were chosen for women's soccer in an at-large pool from 1983-2004. In 2005, a specific women's soccer academic All-America Team was selected by Capital One and CoSIDA.
Following is a summary of the 24 selections since 1983.
•1983 - Lauren Gregg, third team.
•1985 - Beth Huber, second team.
•1993 - Shelley Finger, second team.
•1994 - Shelley Finger, first team.
•1998 - Cindy Parlow, first team.
•2000 - Lindsay Stoecker, second team.
•2001 - Kristin DePlatchett, first team.
•2005 - Heather O'Reilly, second team; Lindsay Tarpley, third team.
•2006 - Heather O'Reilly, first team (Academic All-America of the Year); Anna Rodenbough, second team; Yael Averbuch, third team.
•2007 - Yael Averbuch, second team; Anna Rodenbough, second team.
•2008 - Kristi Eveland, first team; Yael Averbuch, first team (Academic All-America of the Year); Anna Rodenbough, second team.
•2009 - Kristi Eveland, first team; Whitney Engen, second team; Ashlyn Harris, second team.
•2011 - Adelaide Gay, first team; Amber Brooks, second team.
•2012 - Amber Brooks, first team.
•2013 - Caitlin Ball, first team.
O'REILLY JUST SECOND TAR HEEL EVER INDUCTED IN CoSIDA ACADEMIC AMERICA HALL OF FAME: Four distinguished professionals, all standout collegiate scholar-athletes, were inducted as the newest members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® Hall of Fame. This year's class of inductees includes University of North Carolina women's soccer standout Heather O'Reilly (2003-06) who led Carolina to a pair of NCAA championships and was the CoSIDA Women's Soccer Academic All-America of the Year in her senior season in 2006.
Created in 1988, the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame recognizes former Academic All-Americas who received a college degree at least 10 years ago, have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers, and are committed to philanthropic causes.
This year's 2017 inductees into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame were:
• Heather O'Reilly, University of North Carolina women's soccer standout who helped UNC earn two NCAA titles and went on to international success with the U.S. National Team, winning three Olympic gold medals and a FIFA world championship;
• Dr. Stacey Johnson, a two-time national champion and four-time All-America fencer at San Jose State University and a 1980 U.S. Olympian;
• Rachel Price Bell, PhD, an All-America volleyball standout at the University of North Alabama who was twice selected as the top female student-athlete in the Gulf South Conference;
• Stephanie White, Purdue University women's basketball standout and the 1999 national Player of the Year when she led the Boilermakers to the 1999 NCAA championship who went on to star in the WNBA before turning to coaching professionally and at the collegiate level.
The four new inductees joined the prestigious 142-members Academic All-America® Hall of Fame this June. They were inducted into the Academic All-America® Hall of Fame at CoSIDA's annual convention in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday, June 11th during the organization's annual Hall of Fame Ceremony at the World Center Marriott. The CoSIDA convention was held in conjunction with the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Affiliates Convention for a fifth straight year.
O'Reilly became the second UNC student-athlete to be inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, joining Tar Heel swimmer Sue Walsh, Class of 1984, who was inducted in 2002.
"In our 2017 Academic All-America Hall of Fame class, we recognize four women who made major contributions to their respective collegiate sports and who continue to make significant impact in their professional careers," said Andy Seeley, UCF Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and current CoSIDA president. "As undergraduates, they excelled at the highest levels in their respective sports while also being committed to obtaining extraordinary academic success."
The June 11th Hall of Fame induction ceremony featured ESPN's Rece Davis as emcee and legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg, the ambassador of the Academic All-America® program, as special guest and presenter. At that time, the 2016 Dick Enberg Award recipient, former Ole Miss chancellor Dr. Robert Khayat, was also recognized.
"We are so pleased to announce this year's Academic All-America Hall of Fame class. For so many of us involved with CoSIDA, this annual induction celebration has truly become a special evening honoring amazing individuals with wonderful and heartfelt stories of great accomplishment as both students, athletes and citizens within their communities," noted Bernie Cafarelli, American Athletic Conference Associate Commissioner for Communications/External Affairs and chair of the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame committee.
"Their stories have a lasting impact on those who attend the event each year. On behalf of the Academic All-America committee, we are proud to welcome another distinguished group into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame."
The biographical information on this year's Academic All-America® Hall of Fame induction class is listed below.
Heather O'Reilly – University of North Carolina, '07, Soccer
A 2015 World Cup champion as a midfielder for the U.S. National Women's Soccer Team. Three-time USA Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, 20012). Three-time World Cup medalist. Two-time NCAA national champion while starring for the University of North Carolina soccer program.
That is the illustrious resume of O'Reilly, who began her international soccer career at the early age of 17 in 2002. That year, Heather earned her first cap with the United States Women's National Team (WSWNT). In 2004, during her sophomore year at North Carolina, her soccer dreams became a reality when she was named the youngest member of the 2004 Olympic Team.
O'Reilly was an education major at UNC, where she played forward for the Tar Heels from 2003 through 2006. She appeared in 97 matches, scoring 59 goals and assisting on 49 others. She helped leAd the powerhouse UNC squad to national championships in 2003 and 2006. In her final three seasons, she was an All-America first-team selection, following her consensus national freshman of the year honor in 2003. A two-time Academic All-America in 2005 (second team) and 2006 (first team), O'Reilly was awarded a distinctive NCAA Today's Top VIII Award following her senior year. In 2006, O'Reilly's No. 20 jersey was retired by the UNC program,
O'Reilly is one of the world's most capped soccer stars with over 200 international appearances to her name. She is also the eighth most capped player in USWNT history.
In September of 2016, O'Reilly announced her retirement from the Women's National Team after 15 years, and retired on September 15 after a friendly match against Thailand, held in Columbus, Ohio.
She signed with the Arsenal Ladies Football Club in London on January 18th, 2017. O'Reilly previously played professionally for FC Kansas City and Boston Breakers of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).
TAR HEELS IN THE ACC: Parity arrived in the Atlantic Coast Conference many years ago and yet the Tar Heels have lost only 26 ACC regular-season games since league play began in 1987.
The Tar Heels are 199-26-11 all-time in ACC regular-season matches.
UNC has averaged just 0.81 ACC regular-season losses a year in the 31 years of league play.
In the middle of the 2015 season, the Tar Heels had a three-match ACC regular-season losing streak, the first time that has happened in history.
Prior to that streak, UNC had fallen in back-to-back ACC games just four times in history.
The four occasions were September 18, 2013 home versus Notre Dame (0-1) and September 21, 2013 at Florida State (0-1); October 23, 2011 at Virginia Tech (0-1) and October 27, 2011 at Maryland (1-2 in overtime); October 22, 2009 at Florida State (2-3 in two overtimes) and October 25, 2009 at Miami (0-1); October 17, 2000 at Florida State (2-3 in double overtime) and October 27, 2000 at Wake Forest (0-1).
Remarkably, in four of the past eight seasons, UNC had a losing record in ACC play at one point in the campaign. The Tar Heels started the 2010 season 0-1 in the ACC, the 2012 season 1-2-1 in the ACC, the 2013 season 1-2 in the ACC and the 2016 season 0-1 in the ACC. The only other time in history when UNC had a losing record in ACC regular-season play in its history was 2002 when the Tar Heels lost their season opener to NC State.
A RARE HOME LOSS FOR CAROLINA: Carolina's 2-1 loss against Princceton at WakeMed Soccer Park on November 19, 2018 was just the 28th home loss in Carolina history and just the third home loss in the last three seasons combined (2015-17). Carolina went 8-1 at home in 2015 and was 10-1 at home in 2016 after ending with a 1-0 win over Clemson on November 20, 2016. Carolina was 6-1-2 at home in 2017.
IN THE ACC REGULAR SEASON: In its last 42 ACC regular season games, UNC is 32-5-5, a winning percentage of 82.9 percent.
The Tar Heels had a 17-game ACC unbeaten streak ended at Louisville on October 8, 2015 that had stretched from late in the 2013 season.
The Tar Heels won their last three ACC games of the 2013 season, went 9-0-1 in 2014 and finished 7-3 in the conference in 2015. UNC was 6-2-2 in the league last year and finished 8-0-2 in 2017.
Prior to falling at Louisville in 2015, Carolina's last ACC regular season loss had come on October 20, 2013 when Virginia beat the Tar Heels 2-0 at Fetzer Field.
Carolina's three ACC regular season losses in 2015, however, were not a first. UNC fell three times in ACC play in 2000, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. In three of those five seasons UNC ended up winning the NCAA championship (2000, 2009, 2012).
Nevertheless, 32 wins, just five losses and five ties in UNC's last 42 regular season ACC games is a remarkable accomplishment given the parity in the league at this point.
RALLYING FROM A TWO-GOAL DEFICIT: North Carolina rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Notre Dame on September 20, 2014 in South Bend, Ind.
The Tar Heels came back from a two-goal deficit to win for the first time since September 1, 2006 when UNC trailed Connecticut 2-0 at halftime but rallied to win 3-2 in regulation at New Haven, Conn.
Carolina has played 924 matches in its history. There have been only 24 games in that time in which the Tar Heels have ever trailed by more than a single goal in a game. That's 2.6 percent of the matches Carolina has played in history.
The Notre Dame comeback marked the fifth time UNC has rallied from two goals down to win. The Tar Heels have accomplished the feat against Santa Clara in 1993, Duke in 1999, NC State in 2003, Connecticut in 2006 and Notre Dame in 2014.
TAR HEELS IN ACC OPENERS: North Carolina lost to NC State 1-0 in its ACC opener for the 2016 season on September 16, 2016. It was only the fourth loss in an ACC opener for the Tar Heels in their history.
Carolina won its 2017 ACC opener 1-0 at Florida State. The Tar Heels are 25-4-1 overall in conference openers after win at Florida State on September 17.
Carolina's losses in ACC openers came at home against NC State 1-0 on September 16, 2016, at Maryland 2-1 on September 13, 2012, against Boston College in Chapel Hill 3-2 on September 23, 2010 and at NC State 2-1 on September 10, 2002. UNC also tied its ACC opener at NC State 1-1 on September 20, 1988.
TAR HEELS IN THE CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC: On the opening weekend of the 2016 season, Carolina swept a pair of games in the Carolina Nike Classic as the Tar Heels beat UCF 2-0 and Charlotte 3-0.
UNC has now hosted a version of the Carolina Nike Classic, under the current name or the names of other title sponsors, since the initial event in 1980 a total of 26 times.
Carolina has a 47-3-2 record in its early season tournaments at home. The only losses were to Penn State in 1999, Notre Dame in 2008 and Stanford in 2014 with ties against Stanford in 2010 and Florida in 2012.
Carolina played a single game to open the 2017 weekend against Duke in Cary, N.C. but it was not part of a formal Nike Classic.
CAROLINA IN SEASON OPENERS: Carolina has a record of 32-5-2 all-time in season openers after beating Duke 2-1 in overtime to open the 2017 campaign on August 21. The only losses were in 1983 vs. Connecticut (road), 2006 vs.Texas A&M (road), 2007 vs. South Carolina (home), 2012 vs. Portland (road) and 2014 vs. Stanford (home) and there were ties in 1985 vs. George Mason (home) and 2002 vs. Nebraska (road).
UNC IN HOME OPENERS: North Carolina has a record of 34-2-3 in home openers all-time after beating Duke 2-1 in overtime on August 18, 2017.
The only losses came to South Carolina 1-0 in 2007 and to Stanford 1-0 in overtime in 2014 and the ties were against George Mason in 1985, against Stanford in 2010 and against Florida in 2012.
