Men's Soccer Ready For Marshall In College Cup Friday

2020 NCAA College Cup Semifinal
Matchup: North Carolina (9-4-4) vs. Marshall (11-2-3)
Rankings: UNC No. 16, Marshall No. 10 (United Soccer Coaches)
Date: Friday May 14, 2021
Site: Cary, N.C. (Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park)
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPNU

Tar Heel Tidbits
• North Carolina (9-4-4) will make its ninth appearance in the men's NCAA College Cup and try for its third national championship when it plays Marshall (11-2-3) on Friday May 14 in the 2020 NCAA Tournament semifinals.
• The Tar Heels and Thundering Herd will play the first semifinal on Friday in Cary, kicking off just after 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
• The winner will advance to meet either second-seeded Pittsburgh or third-seeded Indiana on Monday night in the national championship game.
• The unseeded Tar Heels advanced to the College Cup with a come-from-behind, 2-1 win over fifth-seeded Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. Previously, UNC beat No. 4 seed Stanford, 1-0, in the third round and tied Charlotte, 1-1, before moving on by virtue of a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks in the second round.
• UNC is 5-1-2 this season against teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll, including 3-0 against top-five teams (wins over Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wake Forest).
• ACC teams are 9-1-3 in the 2020 NCAA Tournament with the lone defeat being Wake Forest's loss to Carolina in the quarterfinals.
• ACC teams have won 17 NCAA men's soccer championships, including seven of the last 15. The ACC has placed at least one team in the men's College Cup in 19 of the last 20 NCAA Tournaments.
• UNC finished second in the ACC Coastal standings in 2020 behind Pitt, based on its 4-1-1 record this Spring against divisional opponents (wins over Pitt, Virginia, Notre Dame and Duke, a tie with Syracuse and a loss to Virginia Tech).
• North Carolina is the only school in the nation with both its men's and women's soccer teams reaching the NCAA quarterfinals (and semifinals).

Three All-South Region Picks
• The United Soccer Coaches released their 2020-21 all-region teams on May 12, and three UNC players were honored.
• Giovanni Montesdeoca grabbed a first-team slot, Alec Smir picked up second-team honors and Filippo Zattarin was on the third team.

Carolina's NCAA Tournament History
• North Carolina is making its 27th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 20th in the last 22 years.
• In the last 13 NCAA Tournaments (2008-20), Carolina leads all NCAA Division I programs in NCAA Tournament wins (26), Sweet 16 appearances (10), quarterfinal appearances (nine) and College Cup berths (seven).
• The Tar Heels are 42-21-9 (.646) all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• UNC has reached the NCAA College Cup nine times (1987, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2020), including four times under head coach Carlos Somoano (2011, 2016, 2017, 2020) and three times in the last five tournaments.
• UNC has an all-time record of 2-4-3 in College Cup semifinal games, moving onto the national title game in 2001, 2008 and 2011.
• Carolina is 2-1 in NCAA championship games, winning the title in 2001 and 2011 and losing in 2008.
• Head coach Carlos Somoano led Carolina to the NCAA championship in 2011 in his first season as the UNC head coach.

Tar Heels Down Deacons For College Cup Berth, 2-1
• Santiago Herrera scored in the 68th minute to cap a comeback win as unseeded North Carolina topped No. 5 seed Wake Forest, 2-1, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on May 10 in Cary, N.C.
• UNC overcame an early Wake Forest lead and came from behind to win. Wake's Kyle Holcomb scored on a rebound in the 10th minute to give the Demon Deacons a 1-0 lead. After Wake's Jake Swallen shot and Tar Heel goalie Alec Smir made the save, Holcomb tapped in the rebound for a 1-0 WFU lead.
• Just 32 seconds later, UNC's Giovanni Montesdeoca tied the score with a goal at the 9:37 mark, reclaiming the momentum for the Tar Heels and evening the score at 1-all.
• After a long scoreless stretch that included a delay for lightning and heavy rain, Herrera was in the right place at the right time and was able to score the game-winner on a loose ball after a set play at the 67:17 mark, putting the Tar Heels ahead for good, 2-1.

Pickering's Goal, Strong Defense Lead Upset of No. 5 Stanford in NCAA Second Round
• Midfielder Joe Pickering scored on a header in the first half and the Carolina defense clamped down the rest of the way as the Tar Heels beat fourth-seeded Stanford, 1-0, on May 6 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at the WakeMed Soccer Center.
• Unseeded UNC (8-4-4) advanced to its ninth NCAA quarterfinal since 2008, most of any school in the nation in that span. Stanford saw its season come to an end at 10-3-1.
• Carolina took a quick, 1-0, lead in the 14th minute when Pickering scored his first goal of the season, heading a corner kick from Milo Garvanian to score at the 13:40 mark of the first half. Garvanian dished out an assist for the second NCAA Tournament game in a row after also doing so in the second-round match with Charlotte on May 2.
• The Tar Heels slowed down the Cardinal attack throughout the game, limiting an offense that entered the matchup averaging more than two goals per game. UNC's defense limited Stanford to just one shot in the first half and four in the game.
• Goalie Alec Smir posted his ACC-leading 10th shutout of the season and the 19th of his career.

Clarke, Smir Lead Tar Heels Into NCAA Third Round In Thriller
• Akeim Clarke scored a goal and Alec Smir made pressure-packed saves in goal as North Carolina advanced in the NCAA Tournament by penalty kicks over Charlotte in second-round action on May 2 in Cary.
• Clarke's second-half goal gave Carolina a 1-0 lead in regulation, then Smir made two huge saves of Charlotte penalty kicks to send the Tar Heels into a third-round matchup with Stanford.
• Clarke scored his first career goal with 16:19 remaining in the second half, taking a pass from Milo Garvanian and scoring for a 1-0 UNC lead. It was just the 10th goal allowed by Charlotte all season and the third allowed by 49er keeper Austin Mullins.
• Charlotte tied the score in the 84th minute with 5:25 remaining in regulation. After a Tar Heel foul just outside the box, the 49ers were able to score off the ensuing free kick by Joe Brito. It was just the 9th goal allowed by Smir this season.
• Both overtime periods were scoreless, with the Tar Heel defense barely averting a goal when Charlotte hit the post on a rebound shot attempt at one point.
• In penalty kicks, UNC's Santiago Herrera connected first for the Tar Heels. After Charlotte tied it at 1-1 and Alex Rose scored to make it 2-1 Carolina, Smir dove to his right and saved Axel Sigurdarson's attempt. Garvanian then put Carolina ahead 3-1.
• Smir made another huge save to preserve the 3-1 UNC edge, then Ernest Bawa scored on his attempt to clinch the 4-1 edge in penalty kicks and the Tar Heel victory.
• Carolina's defense limited Charlotte to just six shots, only two of which was on goal. UNC out-shot the 49ers, 16-6, in the game.

Carolina Closes Regular Season With Win At Duke
• Alex Rose came off the bench to score the game's only goal as No. 18 North Carolina shut out Duke, 1-0, at Koskinen Stadium on April 11.
• At the 31:05 mark in the first half in a play that began with a throw-in near midfield, Tim Schels fed Rose, whose shot found the back right low corner of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
• Rose had entered the game as a replacement for Giovanni Montesdeoca, who exited in the first half after a collision with a Duke player.
• Carolina goalkeeper Alec Smir posted his 17th career shutout and his ninth of the 2020-21 season. UNC's defense held its opponents scoreless in 24 of 28 halves this season.

MLS Drafts Three Tar Heels
• MLS teams selected three Carolina players in the 2021 Major League Soccer Superdraft, held on Jan. 22.
• Defender Matt Constant went as the No. 23 pick in the second round (No. 50 overall) to Sporting KC. Defender Mark Salas went 22nd in the third round (No. 76 overall) to FC Dallas, and forward Giovanni Montesdeoca later joined him with FC Dallas as the 25th pick in the third-round pick (No. 79 overall).
• Generation adidas players and others who sign contracts have joined their MLS clubs for the 2021 preseason. Draftees who do not sign contracts may compete for their college team during the Spring 2021 semester before reporting to their MLS clubs in late May.
• Highlighted by a dozen first-round selections, 25 ACC men's soccer players were selected in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. The 25 selections are by far the most ACC picks in the SuperDraft, besting the previous record of 18, set twice previously. In all, players from 11 ACC programs represented exactly one-third of the 75 total draft picks.
• The ACC's total of 12 first-round selections stands as the most ever from one conference in the MLS SuperDraft, topping the ACC's previous record of eight, set in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The ACC's total this year was quadruple that of any other conference.

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 137-41-30 career record, good for a program-best .731 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 nine of his 10 squads to NCAA postseason play. Six of those teams reached at least the NCAA quarterfinals, and four reached the College Cup.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ernest Bawa

Akeim Clarke

Milo Garvanian

Santiago Herrera

Giovanni Montesdeoca

Joe Pickering

Alex Rose

Mark Salas

Tim Schels

Alec Smir

Filippo Zattarin