Men's Soccer Welcomes Hokies For Senior Night Friday

Matchup: North Carolina (6-3-3, 6-1-3 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (4-6-2, 3-5-2 ACC)
Date: Friday April 2, 2021
Site: Chapel Hill (Dorrance Field)
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats

• North Carolina can maintain its hold on first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division when it hosts Virginia Tech on Friday night in Chapel Hill.
• The game will be Senior Night for UNC seniors Giovanni Montesdeoca and Mark Salas, both of whom will be making their final regular season appearances at Dorrance Field.
• UNC sits atop the ACC Coastal standings with 10 points based on its 3-0-1 record this Spring against divisional opponents (wins over Pitt, Virginia and Notre Dame and a tie with Syracuse). Pitt is second in the division with nine points, right behind the Tar Heels.
• Opening kick is scheduled for just after 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
• ACCNX is a streaming-only viewing option available via the ESPN app that broadcasts sporting events not available on ESPN's linear television networks. ACCNX access is included if your cable, satellite or streaming service provider carries ACC Network. Fans need to use their account with their cable, satellite or streaming provider to log in at the WatchESPN website or download the ESPN app for their mobile or streaming device.
• Virginia Tech is 4-6-2 this season, including 3-5-2 in the ACC, last place in the ACC Coastal Division.
• Carolina will conclude the 2020-21 regular season on Friday April 9 at Duke.

Senior Night
• Friday's game will be the final home regular season appearances for seniors Giovanni Montesdeoca and Mark Salas, both of whom will graduate and move on to professional soccer after this season.
• Other members of the Tar Heels' 2021 senior class who didn't graduate and move on in December have elected to accept the NCAA's Covid-related waiver and return to UNC with an extra year of eligibility in 2021-22.
• Montesdeoca led Carolina in goals and points as a sophomore in 2018, and he leads the team in both categories again in 2020-21, fighting back to full strength this year after missing his junior season due to injury. He is a four-time ACC Player of the Week in his career, including twice this year.
• Salas has been a four-year stalwart on the Tar Heel back line since stepping on campus for the 2017 season, for a while teaming with his brother, Martin, and this year as the veteran leader of the UNC defensive unit. He has played in 71 career games.
• FC Dallas of Major League Soccer drafted both Salas and Montesdeoca in this year's draft.

Tar Heels In The National Rankings
• Carolina is ranked No. 15 this week in the United Soccer Coaches poll, up a spot from No. 16 last week.
• Coming off back-to-back shutout wins over Pittsburgh and Virginia, Carolina climbed into the poll for the first time this spring at No. 15 on March 16. The Tar Heels, who were unranked the previous week but received votes, beat No. 4 Pitt, 3-0, on March 5 and No. 24 Virginia, 2-0, on March 13.

Schels Lifts Heels to OT Win at Notre Dame
• Tim Schels scored in the seventh minute of overtime to lift No. 16 North Carolina to a 2-1 victory in the rain at Notre Dame on March 27. Carolina came from behind to win after trailing, 1-0, at halftime.
• Midway through the overtime period, Schels stole the ball from an Irish player near midfield. Key White, who had just entered the game as a substitute, gathered the ball and passed it back to Schels as he slipped past the Irish back line and scored.
• The Fighting Irish took an early lead in the 20th minute of the game on a goal by Reese Mayer off an assist from Dawson McCartney. Santiago Herrera tied the score at the 62:15 with an unassisted goal.

Scoreless Tie At Syracuse
• Fifteenth-ranked North Carolina and Syracuse clawed their way to a scoreless tie on March 20 at SU Soccer Stadium.
• Carolina outshot Syracuse, 8-3, including a 3-0 edge in shots on goal. Syracuse had three corner kicks to UNC's one.
• Alec Smir went the distance in goal once again for the Tar Heels, holding the Orange scoreless for 110 minutes in his eighth shutout of the season and the 17th of his career.

Back-to-Back ACC Weekly Honors For Montesdeoca
• UNC senior forward Giovanni Montesdeoca was named the ACC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on March 9 and March 16.
• The Dallas, Texas, native led the way as UNC blanked Virginia, 2-0, on March 13. He scored UNC's first goal via a penalty kick after he was taken down in the box by a Cavalier defender. Less than three minutes later, Montesdeoca fed Riley Thomas for an insurance goal and a 2-0 lead.
• Montesdeoca scored a pair of second-half goals to lead the Tar Heels to a 3-0 win over fourth-ranked Pitt on March 4. In the ninth minute of the second half, Montesdeoca took a pass from Jonathan Jimenez and scored to give UNC a 2-0 lead over the Panthers. Thirteen minutes later, he scored on a penalty kick to ice the win.

2-0 Win Over Virginia
• Carolina scored twice in a span of under three minutes in the first half and picked up a 2-0 win over Virginia on March 13 at Dorrance Field.
• After a scoreless opening 30 minutes of the game, the Tar Heels scored twice in a flurry. First, Giovanni Montesdeoca connected on a penalty kick for a 1-0 lead after Cavalier defender Irakoze Donasiyano took Montesdeoca down inside the box.
• Two-and-a-half minutes later, Montesdeoca assisted Riley Thomas for a 2-0 lead, passing into the box from the right side for a goal in the lower right corner of the net.

Dominant Win Over No. 4 Pitt
• North Carolina scored early and led virtually from start to finish in a 3-0, shutout win over fourth-ranked Pittsburgh on Friday night at Dorrance Field.
• Jonathan Jimenez scored an unassisted goal in the 11th minute to hand the Tar Heels the early lead, then Giovanni Montesdeoca scored twice in the second half to ice the victory.

Carlos Somoano
• Tenth-year UNC head coach Carlos Somoano entered the 2020 season ranked second in the nation in winning percentage among active Division I head coaches.
• Somoano has a 134-40-29 career record, good for a program-best .732 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.

Dorrance Field
• Carolina boasts one of the finest soccer and lacrosse facilities in the nation. Carolina opened its new, on-campus Lacrosse & Soccer Stadium on March 2, 2019, by hosting a men's and women's lacrosse doubleheader. The stadium was dedicated as Dorrance Field in honor of longtime women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance in September 2019.
• It is built on the site of the old Fetzer Field, which housed six sports on campus from 1935 through 2017. The facility is home to UNC's men's and women's soccer and lacrosse teams.

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Players Mentioned

Santiago Herrera

Jonathan Jimenez

Giovanni Montesdeoca

Mark Salas

Tim Schels

Alec Smir

Riley Thomas

Key White

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University of North Carolina Athletics