Sept. 21, 2006
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Eighth-ranked North Carolina hosts No. 1 Virginia in a key Atlantic Coast Conference match Friday at 7 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels (7-2-0, 0-2-0 ACC) hope to avoid their first 0-3-0 start in league play since 1997, while the Cavaliers (8-0-0, 2-0-0 ACC) look to remain unbeaten. Carolina has enjoyed success at home against UVa, winning three straight over the Wahoos at Fetzer. The Tar Heels last hosted a No. 1-ranked team in 2003 and came away with a 1-0 win over Maryland.
NO. 1 VIRGINIA AT NO. 8 NORTH CAROLINA
SEPT. 22, 2006, 7 P.M.
FETZER FIELD, CHAPEL HILL
Setting the Stage: The Tar Heels host the nation's No. 1 team for the first time since 2003 when Virginia comes to Chapel Hill Friday. Carolina is looking for its first ACC win after an 0-2-0 start.
In The National Rankings: Carolina is ranked No. 8 by Soccer America and No. 18 in the NSCAA/adidas rankings. Virginia is No. 1 according to Soccer America and ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA/adidas poll.
Series History: The all-time series is tied 31-31-7. UNC and UVa have also split their last eight meetings since 2000 and each won once a year ago.
CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• Seven different Tar Heels have accounted for game-winning goals this season, and nine different players have scored goals on the year. Eight different players have notched assists. Sophomores Michael Callahan and Scott Campbell share the team lead with five points.
• After scoring just seven times though the first six games of the season, UNC has matched that total with seven scores over just the last three games. Sophomore midfielder Michael Callahan has three goals over this stretch.
• The Tar Heels now have blanked six of nine opponents this season and 14 of their last 19 dating to last year. Since the start of the 2005 season, Carolina has 21 shutouts in its last 33 games. The Tar Heels have allowed only 22 goals over this stretch and have allowed multiple goals just six times since the start of last season.
• Carolina returns 95 percent of its scoring from 2005 (39 of 41 goals). FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty is the lone Tar Heel to score a goal last season not back on the roster in 2006.
• The Tar Heels return 10 starters from last year's team that went 17-4-3 and reached the ACC Tournament final, as well as the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
• Senior goalkeeper Justin Hughes recorded his 16th and 17th career shutouts at the Carolina Nike Classic and has allowed just 11 goals over 18 games since moving into the starting line-up in mid-October 2005.
CAROLINA-VIRGINIA SERIES HISTORY
The Carolina-Virginia series is knotted, 31-31-7, through 69 all-time meetings, and the teams have split their last eight meetings dating to 2000. A year ago, the Cavaliers posted a 1-0 victory in Charlottesville, but the Tar Heels rebounded to claim a 2-0 win in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill. Carolina has won its last three home games against the Wahoos.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
Virginia is unbeaten at 8-0-0 and 2-0-0 in the ACC but has had to work overtime to win its last three, including a 2-1 victory over West Virginia Tuesday. In league play, UVa has beaten Boston College and NC State. Sophomore forward Yannick Reyering leads the Cavaliers with 13 points on five goals and three assists, while junior midfielder Nico Colaluca is second with nine points on four goals and an assist. Like the Tar Heels, Virginia has allowed just five goals through eight games.
FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
Carolina's trip to Clemson last week marked the beginning of a tough stretch of Friday nights for the Tar Heels, who will face a team ranked in the top 16 of this week's Soccer America rankings for six consecutive Fridays. All six games are against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Tar Heels are 2-1 against ranked opponents so far this season.
TV TIME FOR TAR HEELS
Carolina is scheduled to make a pair of national television appearances this season on the Fox Soccer Channel. The network will broadcast a total of 20 men's and women's matches with the Tar Heels' 1-0 loss at Clemson Sept. 15 was carried, as will the home match against Maryland Oct. 6. UNC's women will host Florida State on FSC Sept. 21.
LAST TIME VERSUS NO. 1
Carolina's seniors were freshmen the last time the Tar Heels played a No. 1-ranked team, and a Corey Ashe goal in the 69th minute lifted No. 4 UNC to a 1-0 win over top-ranked Maryland Oct. 5, 2003. Prior to that win over the Terps, Carolina's last win over No. 1 was a 5-1 defeat of Virginia Sept. 25, 1994.
TAR HEELS FIND OFFENSIVE BALANCE
Despite scoring just 14 goals on the season, Carolina has found a great deal of balance on the offensive side of the ball, as nine different Tar Heels have found the back of the net through nine games. UNC's nine goal scorers in 2006 already matches its total for the all of last season and ranks second in the ACC. Wake Forest has had 11 different players score goals, and Carolina and Clemson have each had nine players notch goals.
CAROLINA SEEKS FIRST ACC VICTORY
After losses to NC State and Clemson, the Tar Heels look for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season Friday against Virginia. UNC is 0-2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1998 and has not opened with three straight conference defeats since 1997. That team finished 1-5-0 in the league.
CALLAHAN A FORCE IN THE MIDFIELD
Sophomore midfielder Michael Callahan has emerged as a play-making force in the UNC midfield this season with team-bests of three goals and seven points. After tallying just three points a year ago, the Cary native bested that output in the Sept. 12 win over Quinnipiac with two goals off the bench. He followed with a goal in Tuesday's win over VCU for three goals over Carolina's last three outings.
SUPER SOPHOMORES
Carolina's senior class is certainly the backbone of this team, but the sophomore group of Stephen Bickford, Michael Callahan, Scott Campbell and Brian Shriver have carried much of the offensive load early in the season. This quartet has combined for 25 points or 59.5 percent of UNC's point total on the year. Bickford, Callahan and Campbell each scored in the Tar Heels' win over VCU Tuesday.
CAROLINA BREAKS THROUGH AGAINST BOBCATS, RAMS
After failing to finish many of its scoring chances through the first six games of the season, the Tar Heels broke through with season-highs of four goals and seven assists in a 4-0 win over Quinnipiac Sept. 12 and followed with three goals in a 3-1 win over VCU Tuesday. Against the Bobcats, Michael Harrington put UNC on the board with a first-half goal before the Tar Heels came through with three goals over a 17-minute span late in the second half. Regular starter Michael Callahan came through with two goals in six minutes off the bench, and Ben Hunter followed with the final goal in the 86th minute. Sophomores Callahan, Scott Campbell and Stephen Bickford scored in Tuesday's win.
LINEUP SHUFFLE VERSUS VCU
Carolina started a total of seven freshmen and sophomores in Tuesday's win over VCU due to injuries to regular senior starters Corey Ashe, Michael Harrington and Ted Odgers. Sophomore Tim Evans and freshman Eddie Ababio each started on the backline, while rookie Bill Dworsky started up front in place of Ashe.
CAMPBELL COMING ON
Sophomore midfielder Scott Campbell has come on strong of late after playing limited minutes early in the season due to adductor surgery in the offseason. His playing time has increased as the season has progressed, and in four starts in the Tar Heels' last four outings, he has six points on two goals and two assists. He has tallied points in three of the last four games.
SHRIVER STARTS STRONG
Sophomore Brian Shriver is off to a quick start in 2006 with five points on a goal and three assists. He scored the game-winner in the 1-0 victory over Penn State and also assisted on the second goal in the season-opening win over William & Mary before recorded two assists in the Sept. 12 win over Quinnipiac. A regular spark off the bench as a freshman in 2005, Shriver now has 16 career points on six goals and four assists. He has started six of the nine games this season.
HUGHES OUTSTANDING IN GOAL
Despite battling a groin injury, senior goalkeeper Justin Hughes, a candidate for the Herrman Trophy, has been as advertised in net. The Wake Forest, N.C., product has four shutouts to his credit and has made 17 saves, while allowing just five goals, so far this season. Since becoming the Tar Heels' full-time keeper in mid-October 2005, Hughes has allowed just 11 goals in 18 games and has picked up 11 of his 17 career shutouts over this run. With Hughes in net for the majority of the time, Carolina has been scored on in just five of its last 16 games.
HAGGERTY GREAT IN RELIEF
With senior Justin Hughes hampered by a groin injury, freshman Brooks Haggerty has been outstanding in goal over the last two matches. He has made seven saves and has yet to allow a goal in shutouts over Liberty and Quinnipiac. Haggerty and Hughes have combined to earn six shutouts in seven games this season.
NEWCOMERS MAKING THEIR MARK
While Carolina is searching for its timing offensively, the Tar Heels' newcomers have made quite an impact. Freshman Zach Loyd and sophomore transfer Garry Lewis have each accounted for game-winning goals and several other newcomers have logged significant minutes. Loyd and Lewis have combined for 12 starts and rookies Bill Dworsky, who has started four times, and Eddie Ababio (one start) have also seen significant minutes.
