Tar Heels seek to capture ACC Tournament crown for first time since 2009.
General Information
A two-time returning letter winner who was a tremendous addition to the striker corps in 2009 • was a starter for nine of the first 10 games of the 2010 season and the team's leading scorer before suffering an injury against Boston College that forced her to mix six matches • she returned to the lineup against Maryland October 24 but her minutes played were down the rest of the season • possesses tremendous speed.
Sophomore Season (2010)
Played in 18 matches overall and started 10 times • finished the season with 20 points on seven goals and six assists • was fifth on the team in points and tied for fourth in goals • played 819 minutes including a season high 76 against Stanford • had 19 points in just nine games before being sidelined by injury • had one of UNC's two hat tricks on the season, scoring three goals and adding an assists in 7-1 win over Middle Tennessee • also had the game-winner against MTSU • two days later she scored game-winner in 2-0 win over Florida on September 19 • the NSCAA National Player of the Week on September 22, 2010 after her performances against MTSU and UF • copped honors as the ACC Player of the Week on September 21, 2010 • named to All-Tournament Team at 2010 Duke Nike Classic • had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Michigan State in the second game of the season • assisted on the first game-tying goal against Stanford • had a goal and an assist versus Missouri • had an assist on game-winning goal in 1-0 win over San Diego State.
Freshman Season (2009)
Named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2009 • saw action in 25 of UNC's 27 matches, logging 872 minutes of playing time • was one of the first two players off the bench at striker in every match she played in • started matches against Duke and in the regular season meeting versus Florida State • had 12 points on five goals and two assists • scored two game-winning goals • earned her first career point on an assist in the regular-season win over Notre Dame • scored the game-winning goal versus Marquette, tallying in the 67th minute of a 1-0 victory • scored at the 96:59 mark to lift the Tar Heels to a 2-1 overtime win over Duke • scored an insurance goal versus Wake Forest in a 4-0 win • had a goal versus NC State and scored the opening goal of the game in a 2-1 win over Virginia.
ODP, National Teams & Club Soccer
Member of U.S. U20 National Team in 2009 & 2010 • U15 and U16 state, regional and national team member • has played on various national teams since age 10 in ODP programs • won State Cup championships seven straight years with her club team • scored four or more goals in four of those seven championship games • competed with the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy for eight years • teams she played on won regional championships in U14 and U18 years • the U14 team went on to finish in third place at nationals.
Prep
Graduated from Milford High School in Milford, Ohio on May 29, 2009 • played forward on the soccer team there in 2005-06 before concentrating on her club soccer career with the Ohio Elite fall team • Parade Magazine All-America as a junior and senior • also named an NSCAA high school All-America both of those years • first-team All-State and All-City selections • led team to 2006 district title.
Personal
Given name is Alyssa Helen Rich • nicknamed Lyssie • is the daughter of Gail and Jay Rich • was born January 28, 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio • exercise and sports science major.
Up Close With Alyssa Rich
Section #1: Soccer
1. The best thing about being a Tar Heel soccer player is getting to meet some of the most competitive, but some of the nicest people I have ever met. They will be lifelong friends.
2. My favorite thing about competing for Coach Dorrance is winning.
3. Since my last competitive season, the aspect of my training I've worked on the most is finishing.
4. My best friend on another college soccer team is Tara Campbell, goalkeeper for Duke.
5. My greatest strength as a soccer player is creativity.
Section #2: Interests
1. Away from the pitch and academic pursuits, I like to spend time with my family.
2. On a long bus trip, I'd like to watch Wicker Park or the Harry Potter series.
3. If I could compete in another sport at UNC it would be basketball because it's my favorite sport to watch and play.
4. If I received free concert tickets via a radio/Internet promotion I would love to see any concert because I've never been to one before.
5. The one interest I have that people would be surprised to know is I like watching the Food Network.
Section #3: Food & Beverage
1. After a game at Fetzer I'd love to see a buffet spread at McCaskill that included cheeseburgers, french fries and lots of desserts.
2. My favorite beverages are cherry coke and strawberry lemonade.
3. I'm allowed to enter a room with unlimited snacks, one room has the salty stuff, the other sweet stuff? I enter the Salty Room because the only sweet stuff I like are desserts.
4. My favorite food made by a relative is Grandma Rich's chocolate pie made by my Dad and sister.
Section #4: Personality
1. If I possessed the gift of time travel I would go to my freshman year of high school because it was the time I was most happy and care free.
2. My iTunes library includes 600 songs and a mixture of genres.
3. In a perfect world where making money was not a consideration my dream job would be coaching.
Career Statistics
ALYSSA RICH'S CAREER SCORING GAMES
Date Opponent G A Pts
9/4 Notre Dame 0 1 1
9/6 Marquette 1 0 2
9/24 Duke 1 0 2
9/26 Wake Forest 1 0 2
10/9 NC State 1 0 2
10/17 Virginia 1 0 2
11/27 Wake Forest 0 1 1
2009 TOTALS 5 2 12
8/22 Michigan State 1 1 3
8/27 Stanford 0 1 1
8/29 Missouri 1 1 3
9/4 Tennessee 1 0 2
9/12 San Diego St. 0 1 1
9/17 Middle Tenn. 3 1 7
9/19 Florida 1 0 2
11/3 Virginia Tech 0 1 1
2010 TOTALS 7 6 20
CAREER TOTALS 12 8 32
