University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, October 2
Durham, N.C.
7 PM
North Carolina
at
Duke
Jonathan Jimenez and the Tar Heels will visit Duke on Friday night.
Photo by: Dana Gentry
Men's Soccer To Visit Duke Friday
October 1, 2020 | Men's Soccer
The Rundown
Opponent: at Duke (1-1, 1-0 ACC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 2, 2020
Site: Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra (Click Here)
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: North Carolina | Duke
• Carolina will open its 2020 season on Friday October 2 when it visits Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
• The Tar Heels originally were scheduled to open the season on Sept. 25 at Clemson, but that game was rescheduled for Oct. 27.
• Friday's game will be streamed live online by the ACC Network Extra. Ryan Craig will have the call for ACCNX.
Series History Vs. Duke
• Carolina leads the all-time series with Duke, 47-36-10.
• Last season, Duke took a 3-2 win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
• Prior to the loss to the Blue Devils in 2019, Carolina had won five in a row in the series and were 12-1-2 in the last 15 meetings (since 2007). The lone UNC loss during that stretch came in 2014 in Durham.
Exhibition Win Over NCSU
• Giovanni Montesdeoca scored the game's only goal in the 58th minute as Carolina defeated North Carolina State, 1-0, on Sept. 20 in a scrimmage at Dorrance Field.
• The two teams felt each other out and played a scoreless first half. After a defensive miscue by the Wolfpack resulted in a failed clearing attempt, Tar Heel Jonathan Jimenez fed Montesdeoca in front of the box for a 1-0 Tar Heel advantage at the 57:45 mark.
• The Pack almost tied the score not long thereafter but missed a shot from point-blank range, hitting the crossbar and rebounding back into the field.
• Carolina out-shot NCSU by a 16-4 margin, including 8-1 in the first half, and held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.
Rose Hopes To Build On Junior Year Leap
• Senior Alex Rose led Carolina in 2019 in points (16) and goals (seven).
• As a junior, Rose set career highs in games played (17), starts (15), goals (seven), assists (two), points (16), shots (30), shots on goal (11) and game-winning goals (two).
Smir Returns To Man The Goal
• Junior goalkeeper Alec Smir started all 18 games for the Tar Heels in 2019 and tied for seventh in the ACC in shutouts with five.
• Smir was fourth in the ACC in 2019 in goals against per game at 1.06.
Montesdeoca Back From Injury
• Forward Giovanni Montesdeoca missed the 2019 season due to injury but is back for his senior season in 2020.
• Montesdeoca scored the game-winner in Carolina's 1-0 exhibition win over NC State on Sept. 20 in Chapel Hill.
New Faces
• Carolina's 2020 roster features a number of new faces, including a 16-man freshman class and a pair of graduate transfers in Joe Pickering and Filipo Zattarin.
2020 ACC Soccer Format
• ACC teams will play in two regions in an altered league schedule this fall, with six conference games against regional opponents over a nine-week period.
• North Region: Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse Virginia, Virginia Tech (play each division opponent once, plus one region home-and-home)
• South Region: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest (play each division opponent once, plus two region home-and-homes)
• The top four teams in each region will advance to play in the 2020 ACC Men's Soccer Championship.
• Due to a combination of injuries and not all of its members returning for the semester, Boston College will not compete in ACC play this fall.
Tar Heels On TV
• At least five of six Carolina egular season games will be televised or streamed by the ESPN family of channels this season.
• That tally includes four games on linear television and one streaming on the ACC Network Extra platform, which is available on smart TVs and mobile devices. Carolina will have one game on ESPNU, three on the ACC Network and one streaming on ACC Network Extra. The streaming status of the Tar Heels' October 16 date at Wake Forest is to be determined.
ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
• The Atlantic Coast Conference has released its 2020 men's soccer preseason poll after voting from the league's head coaches, and North Carolina was picked to finish third in the South Region while also receiving one vote as the overall ACC champion.
• Clemson was tabbed as the coaches' preseason favorite to win the 2020 ACC Men's Soccer Championship, edging out Wake Forest by one vote as the overall conference favorite and by one point as the South Region favorite.
• Receiving first-place votes from nine of 11 coaches, Virginia was picked as the favorite in the North Region ahead of Pitt.
Carlos Somoano
• Tenth-year UNC head coach Carlos Somoano ranks second in the nation in winning percentage among active Division I head coaches.
• Somoano has a 128-37-26 career record, good for a program-best .738 winning percentage.
• Somoano reached the summit of collegiate soccer when he led the Tar Heels to the 2011 NCAA title, becoming just the second rookie head coach in NCAA history to win a national championship. He returned to the College Cup with his Tar Heel squad in 2016 and 2017, marking the third appearance in the sports ultimate destination under his leadership.
• Somoano has guided eight of his nine squads to NCAA postseason play and five of those teams reached at least the NCAA quarterfinals.
Opponent: at Duke (1-1, 1-0 ACC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 2, 2020
Site: Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra (Click Here)
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: North Carolina | Duke
• Carolina will open its 2020 season on Friday October 2 when it visits Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
• The Tar Heels originally were scheduled to open the season on Sept. 25 at Clemson, but that game was rescheduled for Oct. 27.
• Friday's game will be streamed live online by the ACC Network Extra. Ryan Craig will have the call for ACCNX.
Series History Vs. Duke
• Carolina leads the all-time series with Duke, 47-36-10.
• Last season, Duke took a 3-2 win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
• Prior to the loss to the Blue Devils in 2019, Carolina had won five in a row in the series and were 12-1-2 in the last 15 meetings (since 2007). The lone UNC loss during that stretch came in 2014 in Durham.
Exhibition Win Over NCSU
• Giovanni Montesdeoca scored the game's only goal in the 58th minute as Carolina defeated North Carolina State, 1-0, on Sept. 20 in a scrimmage at Dorrance Field.
• The two teams felt each other out and played a scoreless first half. After a defensive miscue by the Wolfpack resulted in a failed clearing attempt, Tar Heel Jonathan Jimenez fed Montesdeoca in front of the box for a 1-0 Tar Heel advantage at the 57:45 mark.
• The Pack almost tied the score not long thereafter but missed a shot from point-blank range, hitting the crossbar and rebounding back into the field.
• Carolina out-shot NCSU by a 16-4 margin, including 8-1 in the first half, and held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.
Rose Hopes To Build On Junior Year Leap
• Senior Alex Rose led Carolina in 2019 in points (16) and goals (seven).
• As a junior, Rose set career highs in games played (17), starts (15), goals (seven), assists (two), points (16), shots (30), shots on goal (11) and game-winning goals (two).
Smir Returns To Man The Goal
• Junior goalkeeper Alec Smir started all 18 games for the Tar Heels in 2019 and tied for seventh in the ACC in shutouts with five.
• Smir was fourth in the ACC in 2019 in goals against per game at 1.06.
Montesdeoca Back From Injury
• Forward Giovanni Montesdeoca missed the 2019 season due to injury but is back for his senior season in 2020.
• Montesdeoca scored the game-winner in Carolina's 1-0 exhibition win over NC State on Sept. 20 in Chapel Hill.
New Faces
• Carolina's 2020 roster features a number of new faces, including a 16-man freshman class and a pair of graduate transfers in Joe Pickering and Filipo Zattarin.
2020 ACC Soccer Format
• ACC teams will play in two regions in an altered league schedule this fall, with six conference games against regional opponents over a nine-week period.
• North Region: Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse Virginia, Virginia Tech (play each division opponent once, plus one region home-and-home)
• South Region: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest (play each division opponent once, plus two region home-and-homes)
• The top four teams in each region will advance to play in the 2020 ACC Men's Soccer Championship.
• Due to a combination of injuries and not all of its members returning for the semester, Boston College will not compete in ACC play this fall.
Tar Heels On TV
• At least five of six Carolina egular season games will be televised or streamed by the ESPN family of channels this season.
• That tally includes four games on linear television and one streaming on the ACC Network Extra platform, which is available on smart TVs and mobile devices. Carolina will have one game on ESPNU, three on the ACC Network and one streaming on ACC Network Extra. The streaming status of the Tar Heels' October 16 date at Wake Forest is to be determined.
ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
• The Atlantic Coast Conference has released its 2020 men's soccer preseason poll after voting from the league's head coaches, and North Carolina was picked to finish third in the South Region while also receiving one vote as the overall ACC champion.
• Clemson was tabbed as the coaches' preseason favorite to win the 2020 ACC Men's Soccer Championship, edging out Wake Forest by one vote as the overall conference favorite and by one point as the South Region favorite.
• Receiving first-place votes from nine of 11 coaches, Virginia was picked as the favorite in the North Region ahead of Pitt.
Carlos Somoano
• Tenth-year UNC head coach Carlos Somoano ranks second in the nation in winning percentage among active Division I head coaches.
• Somoano has a 128-37-26 career record, good for a program-best .738 winning percentage.
• Somoano reached the summit of collegiate soccer when he led the Tar Heels to the 2011 NCAA title, becoming just the second rookie head coach in NCAA history to win a national championship. He returned to the College Cup with his Tar Heel squad in 2016 and 2017, marking the third appearance in the sports ultimate destination under his leadership.
• Somoano has guided eight of his nine squads to NCAA postseason play and five of those teams reached at least the NCAA quarterfinals.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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