Tar Heels Head To Louisville To Face Unbeaten Cardinals

THIS WEEK'S CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER GAME NOTES
North Carolina at Louisville
Saturday, September 21, 2019
7:30 p.m. EDT
Mark & Cindy Lynn Soccer Stadium
Louisville, Ky.

TAR HEELS HEAD TO LOUISVILLE FOR SATURDAY NIGHT TILT:   The University of North Carolina women's soccer team returns to the pitch this week to play just one game. Carolina travels to the Blue Grass State on Friday and will play the homestanding University of Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Mark and Cindy Lynn Soccer Stadium on the University of Louisville campus in Louisville, Ky.
The game will be nationally televised on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

FACING ANOTHER UNDEFEATED TEAM:   The Tar Heels lost their first game of the season last Sunday, falling at Arkansas 2-0. The potential bounce back game for the Tar Heels will be no easy task whatsoever.
Louisville is 7-0 this season, having gone through its non-conference season without a blemish. North Carolina finished its non-conference season at 7-1
THIS WEEK"S POLLS
Soccer America – North Carolina #5, Louisville #12
United Soccer Coaches – North Carolina #4, Louisville #20
Top Drawer Soccer – North Carolina #4, Louisville #25

CAROLINA SOCCER KICKS CHILDHOOD CANCER: The University of North Carolina men's and women's soccer teams are joining forces this September to raise money to support the UNC Lineberger pediatric hematology/oncology clinic. The Carolina Soccer Kicks Childhood Cancer fundraising campaign will culminate with the women's game vs. NC State on September 26 dedicated to pediatric cancer and a check presentation at the men's game vs. Duke on September 27.
Anyone interested in supporting this incredible fundraising effort can visit give.classy.org/uncsoccerkickscancer to donate. Each member of the men's and women's soccer teams will have an individual fundraising page with an overall goal of raising $15,000 to support UNC Lineberger.
The funds raised will be used to help patients and their families with non-medical needs like parking and gas cards. They will also support the child-life specialists who work with families to provide services such as:
• Preparation and support before, during and after medical procedures
• Pain-management techniques
• Medical and recreational play
• Kid-friendly explanation of medical terminology
• Education on coping skills
• Assisting patients on returning to school
For more information, contact Elizabeth Rubio at UNC Lineberger (elizabeth_rubio@med.unc.edu) or Korie Sawyer Rich at UNC Athletics (kcsawyer@unc.edu).

O'REILLY NAMED TAR HEEL ASSISTANT COACH: Heather O'Reilly, one of the all-time greats in University of North Carolina and U.S. Women's National Team history, has been named the new volunteer assistant coach for women's soccer at her alma mater. UNC head coach Anson Dorrance made the announcement on Thursday, August 29.
"Heather O'Reilly checks every box for us in an extraordinary way," Dorrance says. "First of all she is a Tar Heel legend; secondly she is U.S. full National and Olympic Team royalty; and then her professional team resume is also lights out and even her academic resume is in the top one percent."
O'Reilly was the top-ranked recruit in the high school class of 2003. She was already playing with the U.S. National Team as a high school senior in 2002 while attending East Brunswick (N.J.) High School. The college career of the dynamic forward would lead the Tar Heels to two NCAA championships and three ACC championships. While in the midst of her time at Carolina she scored one of the most important goals in Olympic women's soccer history, sparking the U.S. to the Olympic gold medal in 2004. She would go on and win a second gold medal in 2008 and a third Olympic gold medal in 2012. Before retiring from the USWNT in September 2016, she played in three World Cups for the United States, winning a bronze medal in 2007, a silver medal in 2011 and reigning as a FIFA World Cup champion in 2015. She is finishing her long career in the professional ranks this fall as a member of the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League.
"I am incredibly excited and proud to join the UNC women's soccer coaching staff," says O'Reilly. "Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina, and the UNC soccer program all mean a great deal to me. What Anson Dorrance and Bill Palladino built here for 40 years set the standard for greatness which we have seen impact at national and global levels for women's soccer."
O'Reilly finished her college career tied for 10th in goals at UNC with 59 and she was 11th in points with 167 and 12th in assists with 49. Her career was capped in 2006 when she was named the national player of the year by Soccer America magazine while also claiming the prestigious Honda Sports Award for Soccer. She was also named ESPN The Magazine's National Academic All-America of the Year for women's soccer as presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America and she won the Patterson Medal as UNC's outstanding senior female athlete. In 2017, she became the second UNC student-athlete ever inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
"It is an honor to be able to learn from Anson, a coaching legend, and pass what I have learned from my long playing career at an elite level to a new generation of Tar Heels," O'Reilly says. "UNC remains the gold standard for women's soccer in terms of competitiveness and player development and I am thrilled to be able to keep that tradition alive as I join the Carolina soccer family in this new capacity."
O'Reilly was at her best in leading Carolina to NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2006, both years being named the offensive MVP of the College Cup. She was the unanimous choice as national freshman player of the year in 2003 and then was a first-team All-America selection in her final three seasons. O'Reilly led the Tar Heels in scoring three straight years from 2004-06 and she was the third-leading scorer on the 2003 team that went 27-0.
She had 15 goals, 14 assists and 44 points in NCAA Tournament games in her career. As she was rehabbing from the broken leg in 2003, she had three goals in the ACC Tournament and then exploded in the NCAA Tournament with an 18-point performance on eight goals and two assists. Those eight goals are the most in UNC history in a single NCAA Tournament.
In the summer of 2004, O'Reilly played with the U.S. National Team in Greece in the hopes of winning an Olympic gold medal. With the U.S. and Germany tied 1-1 in overtime of the semifinal game, O'Reilly blistered the back of the net off a Mia Hamm assist to catapult the Americans into the gold medal match. A few days later, the college sophomore possessed an Olympic gold medal after the U.S. beat Brazil in the final match.
In 2006, she led the Tar Heels to 27 straight wins and the national title after UNC lost its season opener at Texas A&M. She was the offensive MVP of the College Cup after scoring four goals and adding six assists in NCAA play. She scored the insurance goal in the 2-0 NCAA semifinal win over UCLA, scored the first goal of the NCAA final against Notre Dame and assisted on the eventual game-winning tally against the Fighting Irish.
Following her senior year she won the NCAA's prestigious Today's Top VIII Award. No Tar Heel student-athlete had won the award since 1984 and it was the crowning jewel of her college career. The award is the highest annually bestowed by the NCAA for athletic prowess, academic achievement and community service. O'Reilly played for Sky Blue FC of WPS for three years and led the team to the championship of the league in 2009. She joined the Boston Breakers of the National Women's Soccer League in 2013 and then played for Kansas City where she won an NWSL title in 2015. In 2016-17, she played for Arsenal in the FA WSL 1 in England. She ranks eighth in USWNT history in caps, 11th in goals and sixth in assists. She currently plays for North Carolina Courage of NWSL, winning a league crown in 2018. She was a studio analyst for FOX Sports at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.
O'Reilly was married to David Werry on October 1, 2011. A native of Canada, Werry is a 2006 UNC alumnus and four-year letterman on the men's lacrosse team. They are owners of the Carolina Coffee Shop.
"Very few can compare to her in any category and yet, she has them all. To further embellish her qualities, she married a fantastic Tar Heel athlete and they live in a beautiful home half way between our stadium and our training complex. She is a role model like no other. This is a tremendous day for Carolina soccer."

BELL NAMED ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Carolina defender Maycee Bell has been tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Week on August 27 after the opening weekend of the 2019 season.
n her collegiate debut, Bell was a dominant player on the back line for the North Carolina defense, as the Tar Heels opened their season with a 3-0 win over Indiana followed by a 2-0 shutout of eighth-ranked Duke in a non-conference matchup.
The Wichita, Kan., native led a defensive effort which limited Indiana to just one shot in the game. Carolina's defensive prowess continued against Duke, as UNC limited the Blue Devils to just two shots and one corner kick.
Neither Indiana nor Duke had a shot on goal in either game.

FOX AMONG AMERICAN PLAYERS COMPETING IN NORDIC CUP: North Carolina defender Emily Fox, who made her senior debut for the USA in 2018, was amongst the players called up for the U.S. under-23 women's national team's trip to England for the Nordic Tournament Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
Fox started both games this on UNC's opening weekend as the Tar Heels defeated Indiana 3-0 and Duke 2-0 to open the 2019 season.
Another pair of starters for the Tar Heels - forward Alessia Russo and defender Lotte Wubben-Moy also competed in the Nordic Tournament for the host English side.

TAR HEELS TABBED TO REPEAT AS ACC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS: The University of North Carolina women's soccer team has been chosen as the preseason favorite to win the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title in a vote of the league's 14 head coaches announced August 8.
Coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels received six first place votes and 188 total points in the voting. Florida State, which won last year's ACC Tournament, was picked on eight first place ballots and had 185 points overall.
The remainder of the standings have Virginia in third with 163 points, Duke in fourth with 155 points, Clemson in fifth with 121 points, NC State in sixth with 109 points, Wake Forest in seventh with 106 points, Louisville in eighth with 99 points, Notre Dame in ninth with 88 points, Boston College in 10th with 87 points, Virginia Tech in 11th with 85 points, Miami in 12th with 39 points, Pittsburgh in 13th with 29 points and Syracuse in 14th with 16 points.
The 11-player preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team includes a trio of Tar Heels – junior defender Emily Fox, junior forward Alessio Russo and sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto. The preseason All-ACC Team also includes Clemson junior forward Mariana Speckmaier, Florida State redshirt junior defender Malia Berkely, Florida State senior forward Deyna Castellanos, Florida State sophomore midfielder Jaelin Howell, Florida State sophomore midfielder Yujie Zhao, Louisville junior midfielder Emina Ekic and Virginia Tech senior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn.

THREE TAR HEELS NAMED TO 2019 HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: A trio of returnees from the University of North Carolina's 2018 NCAA Tournament runnerup team have been named to the 2019 Women's Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List presented by World Wide Technology.
A total of 61 collegiate players nationwide were named to the list by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club. Tar Heels on the list are junior forward Alessia Russo of Kent, England, junior midfielder Taylor Otto of Apex, N.C. and sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto of Durham, N.C.
The Watch List was announced on Thursday. Fifteen semifinalists will be announced by United Soccer Coaches on December 3. Three finalists will be identified on December 13. On January 10, 2020, the Hermann Trophy winner will be announced at the Hermann Trophy Press Conference and Awards Banquet to be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in Saint Louis.
Russo was a semifinalist for the award last year. She was a first-team United Soccer Coaches All-America at forward, first-team All-ACC and the 2018 ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Despite having her 2018 season cut short by a torn ACL suffered in the final regular season game, Russo played in 14 games last season and was Carolina's third-leading scorer with 16 point. She shared the team lead in both goals scored with six and game-winning goals with four. She also had four assists.
Otto was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2018 and was named third-team All-America by United Soccer Coaches. She started all 27 games for UNC and had five goals and six assists for 16 points. She tied for third on the team in scoring with 16 points, sharing that spot on the scoring column with Russo.
Pinto was a first-team freshman All-America as named by Top Drawer Soccer. The Durham native was also a first-team All-ACC selection. Pinto played in 26 games, starting 25 times. She was Carolina's second-leading scorer with 20 points. She was second on the squad in assists with eight and she shared the team lead in goals scored with Russo and Julia Ashley with six.

CONSISTENCY, STATISTICAL ANOMALY OR JUST VERY GOOD?: Head Coach Anson Dorrance is currently in his 41st season as the Tar Heels' head mentor. His teams have an all-time record of 854-75-40 (.902). Under Anson Dorrance, UNC has won 22 national championships, including 21 NCAA crowns and one AIAW title in his 40 years as head coach. UNC has won 21 outright regular-season ACC titles and shared another conference regular-season crown while capturing 21 ACC Tournament championships in his 40 years as head coach. During his tenure, Dorrance's teams are 209-26-11 in ACC regular-season games, 66-6-5 in ACC Tournament matches and 131-14-4 in NCAA Tournament games. UNC is 370-28-16 in home games in its history and 484-47-24 in games played on the road and at neutral sites. Under Dorrance, UNC has won 90.2 percent of its games overall, 87.2 percent of its ACC regular-season games, 89.0 percent of its ACC Tournament games, 89.3 percent of its NCAA Tournament games, 91.4 percent of its home games and 89.4 percent of its road and neutral site games. UNC has played 555 of its 969 all-time games either on the road or at neutral sites (57.3 percent) In the program's 41-year history, totaling 967 games, Carolina has shut out opponents 602 times and has been held scoreless in just 57 games. UNC has shutout its opponents in 62.2 of its all-time games.

TAR HEELS ELECT TEAM CAPTAINS: The North Carolina women's soccer team elected three players as team captains for the 2019 campaign. The captains are redshirt junior Taylor Otto, who will be in heer second season as a captain. She is joined this year as captains by juniors Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy, both English national team players.

FOLLOW CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER ON TWITTER: Fans are able to follow Carolina women's soccer through Twitter updates at @uncwomenssoccer run by the UNC Athletic Communications Office. 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 site is the most followed of any collegiate women's soccer team with 20,600 followers. UNC's women's soccer twitter account is the most followed account in collegiate women's soccer. Carolina fans are also encouraged to follow the Tar Heels on Instagram at @uncwomenssoccer.

JUST FIVE TIMES SINCE 1986: Carolina's 2-0 setback at Arkansas on September 15, 2019 marked only the fifth loss for the Tar Heels by a margin of more than one goal since the 1985 season, a campaign which ended with a 2-0 loss to George Mason in the NCAA Tournament final.
Carolina has played 821 games since the start of the 1986 season, losing by more than one goal just five 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 five 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, lost to USC 3-0 on September 11, 2016 and fell at Arkansas 2-0 on September 15, 2019.

DID YOU KNOW...: North Carolina would have to lose its next 789 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 weekend with an all-time record of 854-75-40. Dorrance has coached the Tar Heels in all 969 of their games all-time.

SHUTOUTS ARE INFREQUENT: UNC's 2-0 loss against Arkansas on September 15, 2019 was only the 57th time the Tar Heels have been shut out in their history. Altogether, UNC has played 969 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 43 shutout losses in its history. The Tar Heels have also played 14 scoreless ties in their 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.

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 209-26-11 all-time in ACC regular-season matches. The Tar Heels earned their 200th all-time ACC regular season victory on September 14, 2018 when they won at Florida State 1-0.
UNC has averaged just 0.81 ACC regular-season losses a year in the 32 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 had 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 nine 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 Princeton 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 four seasons combined from 2015 to 2018. 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 2018, UNC recorded a 10-0-1 record in home games.

IN THE ACC REGULAR SEASON: In its last 52 ACC regular season games, UNC is now 42-5-5, a winning percentage of 85.6 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 into midway through the 2015 campaign.
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 the following year and finished 8-0-2 in 2017. Carolina finished the 2018 season with a perfect 10-0-0 ACC regular-season mark.
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 regular-season 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, 42 wins, just five losses and five ties in UNC's last 52 regular season ACC games is a remarkable accomplishment given the parity in the league at this point.

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 and again won its 2018 ACC opener against Florida State with another 1-0 win in Tallahassee. The Tar Heels are 26-4-1 overall in conference openers after winning at Florida State on September 14 of this season.
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 2019 season, Carolina swept a pair of games in the Carolina Nike Classic as the Tar Heels beat Indiana 3-0 and Duke 2-0.
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 28 times.
Carolina has a 51-3-2 record in its early season tournaments at home. The only losses were to Penn State in 1999, to Notre Dame in 2008 and to 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 34-5-2 all-time in season openers after beating Indiana 3-0 on August 22.   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 36-2-3 in home openers all-time after beating Indiana 3-0 on August 22.
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.

DORRANCE SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2023: Twenty-two time national champion and Hall of Fame women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance has signed a five-year contract extension with the University of North Carolina, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham announced December 19, 2018. Dorrance, who recently led Carolina to the 2018 NCAA Tournament title game and two College Cup appearances in the past three years, is signed through 2023.
UNC has signed or is announcing:
• contracts and/or contract extensions with a dozen head coaches, including Dorrance's extension, which runs through the 2023 season;
• personal service contracts for head coaches with Nike;
• a 10-year extension with Nike;
• and a 12-year extension with Learfield Communications.
All of the contracts, and a licensing agreement and labor standards agreements with Nike, are available on GoHeels.com.
"I am looking forward to this mutual commitment to the future of the North Carolina women's soccer program between the University and myself," said Dorrance. "I feel as energized as I have ever been coming off a tremendous 2018 season and I look forward into moving into our new stadium next fall. Our program continues to succeed at the highest level and my staff has a huge role in that. We are already looking forward to the 2019 campaign."
Dorrance recently completed his 40th season as the Tar Heels' head mentor. His teams have an all-time record of 847-74-40 (.903). Under Dorrance, UNC has won 22 national championships, including 21 NCAA crowns and one AIAW title in his 40 years as head coach. UNC has won 21 outright regular-season ACC titles and shared another conference regular-season crown while capturing 21 ACC Tournament championships in his 40 years as head coach.
During his tenure, Dorrance's teams are 209-26-11 in ACC regular-season games, 66-6-5 in ACC Tournament matches and 131-14-4 in NCAA Tournament games. UNC is 367-28-16 in home games in its history and 480-46-24 in games played on the road and at neutral sites. Under Dorrance, UNC has won 90.3 percent of its games overall, 87.2 percent of its ACC regular-season games, 89.0 percent of its ACC Tournament games, 89.8 percent of its NCAA Tournament games, 91.2 percent of its home games and 89.6 percent of its road and neutral site games. In the program's 40-year history, totaling 961 games, Carolina has shut out opponents 596 times and has been held scoreless in just 56 games. UNC has shutout its opponents in 62.0 of its all-time games.
Dorrance is one of five UNC head coaches who have (or will have) personal service contracts with Nike, along with Roy Williams (men's basketball), Mike Fox (baseball) and Sylvia Hatchell (women's basketball). Mack Brown (football) will also sign a personal service contract with Nike.
The University's contracts with Brown, Fox, Hatchell and Williams also include compensation that originated from Learfield for work with Carolina's multi-media rightsholder. The Nike contracts and compensation from Learfield are approved by Chancellor Carol Folt and Cunningham.
In addition to signing a contract extension with Dorrance, Cunningham is announcing contract extensions for Williams, Fox, Jenny Levy (women's lacrosse), Brian Kalbas (women's tennis), Sam Paul (men's tennis) and Carlos Somoano (men's soccer), who each re-signed through 2023; Coleman Scott (wrestling) re-signed through 2021; and Karen Shelton (field hockey) re-signed through 2020.
Also, Joe Breschi (men's lacrosse), Donna Papa (softball) and Joe Sagula (volleyball) signed multi-year contracts for the first time; each signed five-year contracts through 2023.
The 12 coaches who signed new contracts or extensions, which were also approved by the Board of Trustees, have a combined 276 years of experience as head coaches at Carolina.
"It's a pretty remarkable day when you can announce contracts and extensions for 12 head coaches, particularly when you have as accomplished a group as we are fortunate to work with here at Carolina," says Cunningham. "These 12 coaches include eight who have won 38 national championships, and are dedicated to winning in the classroom and our community.
"We're also pleased to highlight today the financial impact our partnerships with Nike and Learfield have on our ability to provide opportunities for nearly 800 student-athletes and the positive impact those relationships have on our campus as a whole."
Carolina's 10-year contract calls for Nike to remain the Tar Heels' exclusive supplier of athletic footwear and apparel through June 2028. It is the third extension of a partnership that began in 1993.
As part of the contract, a minimum of $600,000 per year — at least $6 million over the life of the contract — is guaranteed for licensing, which the University directs for need- and merit-based scholarships. That's more than doubling the licensing guarantee of the previous contract with Nike. In addition, the University will receive $200,000 per year in retail product for non-athletic department use, and Nike will hire four student interns each year.
"We're pleased to continue this long-standing partnership with Nike, which goes well beyond the direct benefits it provides to nearly 800 student-athletes each year," says Chancellor Carol L. Folt. "This extension makes even more funds and opportunities available to benefit our students in areas ranging from scholarships to internships and helps Carolina students across our campus."
In an accompanying "Agreement Regarding Labor Standards and Corporate Social Responsibility," the University and Nike also have again affirmed their commitment to fair labor practices.
Nike also has increased the amount of product – primarily uniforms, shoes and practice gear – it provides to Carolina Athletics. Additional funds will be used to support women's sports initiatives, contracts and travel for international competition. All told, the value of the Nike contract exceeds $10 million per year.
"This contract isn't just about supplying uniforms and equipment, but also about supporting student scholarships, internships and opportunities for the University of North Carolina,'' says Cunningham. "We are proud to extend our relationship with Nike and pleased that this agreement will help so many students."
Carolina also extended its multi-media rights partnership with Learfield through June 2029. The Jefferson City, Mo.-based company has managed UNC's radio broadcasts, coaches' shows, digital media productions and venue signage since 1999. The 12-year contract has an average guaranteed value of $12.6 million per year.
"Our partnership with Learfield is an important part of our organizational culture, and we are excited about the continued ideas and opportunities this agreement will bring to our department and to the University,'' says Cunningham.
The contract includes additional Learfield resource investments in student-athlete development, career placement programs, and digital content development and market integration. It includes four annual paid student internships for Carolina students, a Career Tar Heel program and funding to help expand creative resources within the athletic department.

CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Carolina is the only school in the country that has played in all 37 NCAA Tournaments. In the 37 tournaments, UNC has an all-time record of 131-14-4. That is an amazing winning percentage of 89.6 percent. Carolina has won 21 NCAA Tournaments, finished second four times and placed third on three occasions. After the tie against UCLA in the 2018 quarterfinals, UNC is a rather astounding 27-1-2 all-time in NCAA quarterfinal matches. It's only loss in a quarterfinal match came against UCLA in 2013 by a 1-0 score in double overtime at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. The only other time UNC failed to get through a quarterfinal game was 2005 when the Tar Heels fell to Florida State 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie against the Seminoles at Fetzer Field.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ashley

Maycee Bell

Emily Fox

Taylor Otto

Brianna Pinto

Alessia Russo

Lotte Wubben-Moy

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