GoHeels Exclusive: The Road Is Slippery

By Dave Lohse

Associate Athletic Communications Director

Even for the most successful program in women's soccer history, the road can be a hazardous stop en route to greater success at season's end.

Then top-ranked and undefeated North Carolina learned that lesson last Sunday when the Tar Heels traveled to play an underrated Arkansas team an emerged on the short end of 2-0 decision against the Razorbacks before a national television audience on ESPNU in Fayetteville. The Tar Heel loss came just two days after second-ranked Stanford lost at unranked Pepperdine 1-0 in Malibu, Calif., in a match in which the Cardinal outshot the Waves 21-3. Time to shuffle the Top 5.

Soccer is a cruel mistress sometimes. The teams you expect to win often don't win, probably more often in a sport like soccer than any other team sport.

Nevertheless, there is no arguing that the Razorbacks deserved to win. They scored two goals on opportunistic counter attacks and defended well. The Tar Heels struggled to get good looks at the home team's goal, especially after conceding first.

But there is no time to reflect. Looking forward is the best option. The Tar Heels will face a daunting road game Saturday night in Louisville where the Cardinals are undefeated, ranked in the Top 15 and coming off an impressive win over previously undefeated and Top 10-ranked Vanderbilt. There's certain to be a strong home atmosphere for the Cardinals. And the only previous meeting between the two teams in Louisville ended in a 2-1 overtime victory for the Cardinals in 2015 in a game in which Carolina outshot the home team 30-6.

So the Tar Heels can expect another road challenge, and a strong one indeed, on Saturday.

Which brings us to the point of this column. UNC has won 90.2 percent of its games all-time, going 854-75-40 over 41 seasons. So let's stop right there. Carolina has been playing women's soccer for 41 years and the loss last Sunday was just the 75^th in school history. That alone is insane.

What's even more amazing is the consistency of the Tar Heel program regardless of where it plays its games. The Tar Heels have played 969 games in their history. They have won 91.2 percent of their home games in their history, going 370-28-16 in 41 years. The Heels have won 89.5 percent of their road and neutral site games in their history, going 484-47-24 all-time. There is virtually no difference in Carolina's winning percentage regardless of where it plays its game. How many teams can claim that?

Of course it all goes back to a program that recruits talent at the highest level and is coached by the very best in the history of the game.

But given the rigors of travel and facing hostile crowds, a team that still wins 89.5 percent of its away games is still a story that is unrivaled.

A year ago, Carolina ventured to the West Coast at the end of non-conference season, dropping games at Santa Clara 1-0 and at Stanford 2-1 in overtime. UNC returned wounded but undaunted and ran off 10 successive wins in Atlantic Coast Conference play en route to a season that ended with an appearance in the national championship game.

Carolina faces an almost identical scenario this year enduring its first loss of the season on the final weekend of non-conference play and starting the ACC season just a few days later on the road. Last year that road game was at Florida State, this year at Louisville.

How Carolina responds this year will tell coach Anson Dorrance a lot about the nature of this team and its character as it works through recent injuries to starters Taylor Otto and Maycee Bell. Tune in Saturday night. We'll learn a lot more about the 2019 edition of the Tar Heels at that time.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Maycee Bell

Taylor Otto

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