Nov. 19, 2009
Saturday's Tar Heel Women's Soccer Game
2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship Third Round Game
North Carolina (19-3-1, NSCAA No. 4, Soccer America No. 3, Soccer Times No. 4) vs. Maryland (14-5-2, NSCAA No. 19, Soccer America No. 20, Soccer Times No. 20)
Saturday, November 19, 2009, 1 p.m.
Fetzer Field
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Saturday's game will be webcast live on TarHeelBlue.com and it will be broadcast by WMUC Radio in College Park, Md.
Looking Ahead To The Matchup With Maryland
Atlantic Coast Conference champion North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the upper right quadrant of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament bracket, and ACC at-large selection Maryland, the No. 4 seed in the upper right quadrant of the bracket, will meet Saturday at 1 p.m. in a third round match of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The game will be webcast live on TarHeelBlue.com and will be broadcast back to Maryland on WMUC Radio of College Park, Md.
With the game, UNC will have officially passed the three-quarters mark en route to the 1,000th game in Tar Heel women's soccer history. The Tar Heels played their 750th all-time match last Sunday since the inception of the program in 1979 and celebrated the milestone with a 4-0 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs.
Both Maryland and North Carolina have advanced to the third round after winning NCAA first-round and second-round matchups on their home field last weekend. The Tar Heels advanced by beating High Point 1-0 in the first round of the tournament and then dispatching No. 25 Georgia 4-0 in the second round of the tournament. The Terps beat Monmouth 4-0 in the opening round and then overcoming No. 14 Washington State 1-0 in the second round.
This will be the 16th time since the inception of ACC women's soccer in 1987 that the Tar Heels will have faced an ACC foe in an NCAA Tournament game. The Tar Heels are 14-0-1 against ACC opponents in NCAA games. The lone blemish was a 1-1 tie with Florida State in the 2005 NCAA semifinals. The Seminoles advanced to the NCAA semifinals by outscoring the Tar Heels 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout.
Records & Rankings
The Tar Heels enter the match ranked in the Top 4 in the nation in all three national polls while the Terps are ranked in the Top 20 in the nation in all three national polls. UNC is ranked No. 3 by Soccer America this week and the Tar Heels are ranked No. 4 by both Soccer Times and by the NSCAA coaches. The Terrapins are No. 19 in the NSCAA coaches' poll and No. 20 in both the Soccer America and Soccer Times polls.
Carolina is 19-3-1 overall and it finished 7-3 in the ACC regular season. The Terrapins are 14-5-2 overall and they finished 4-4-2 in the ACC regular season.
Carolina In The NCAA Tournament
North Carolina is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in school history. UNC is the only school in the nation to have played in all 28 NCAA Tournaments in the history of the sport. Connecticut ranks second in this category. The Huskies have appeared in 27 of the 28 JNCA Tournament.
The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 102-7-1 in NCAA Tournament games heading into Saturday's matchup with Maryland.
Carolina has a winning percentage of .932 in NCAA Tournament games.
The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 383-59 in its 110 NCAA Tournament matches.
UNC has won 19 NCAA titles, reached the championship game 22 times and advanced to the semifinals 24 times in the previous 27 NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in all 28 previous tournaments.
Only twice in history has Carolina failed to make the final 8 of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels lost to Santa Clara 1-0 in overtime in the Round of 16 in 2004 at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels also lost to Notre Dame 3-2 in the Round of 16 in 2007 at Fetzer Field.
Carolina improved 28-0 in its opening round games in NCAA Tournament history after the win over High Point November 13. The 4-0 win over Georgia on November 15 improved the Tar Heels to 28-0 in their second games of every NCAA Tournament since 1982.
The Tar Heels have won at least its first two games in every NCAA Tournament in which it has played.
Carolina In The ACC Tournament
On November 8, the Tar Heels played in the ACC Tournament championship game for the 22nd time in history and won their 20th ACC Tournament title. UNC has an all-time record of 57-0-3 in ACC Tournament play, a winning percentage of .975. In 60 games in ACC Tournament history, UNC has outscored its opponents 200-29.
UNC has reached the championship game in all 22 tournaments and the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 22 ACC Tournament championships. The other two ACC Tournament titles were won, respectively, by NC State in 1988 and by Virginia in 2004. Both of those titles were decided on penalty kick shootouts.
Carolina also won the initial ACC championship in 1987 when the title was decided on the basis of the regular-season standings. The ACC Tournament started a year later in 1988.
North Carolina is now 17-0-1 in its 18 ACC Tournament games played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
Carolina At The WakeMed Soccer Park
UNC is now 24-1-1 in the 26 games it has played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., after the Tar Heels won three games there in the 2009 ACC Tournament.
Carolina is 6-0 in NCAA Tournament games played at the facility and is 17-0-1 in ACC Tournament games played in Cary.
UNC was also 1-1 in two games played against NC State at the facility when the Wolfpack used the facility to play regular-season home games.
The one loss at WakeMed came on October 10, 2002 when NC State beat the Tar Heels 2-1 in a game in which UNC outshot the Wolfpack 45-10. The tie came on November 7, 2004 when the Heels and Virginia played to a 1-1 deadlock in the ACC Tournament championship game. The Cavaliers earned the ACC championship in a penalty kick shootout against the Tar Heels 5-4.
Carolina In The ACC Standings
The Tar Heels finished third outright in the 2009 ACC regular season standings. UNC totaled 21 points to finish behind ACC regular-season co-champions Boston College and Florida State, who both had 22 points.
That marked only the fourth time in the 23-year history of ACC women's soccer that the Tar Heels have failed to win the regular-season championship. NC State won the regular-season title in 1988, Duke won it in 1994, Clemson won it in 2000 and Florida State and Boston College tied for it in 2009.
UNC's three conference losses this season were the most in a single year since 2000 when the Tar Heels finished 4-3 in the league. Ironically, that 2000 team went on to win the ACC Tournament championship just like the 2009 team captured the ACC Tournament title. Both teams played as No. 3 seeds in the ACC Tournament.
All told, in 23 years of conference competition the Tar Heels have lost only 10 ACC regular-season matches out of 153 matches played (139-10-4).
In addition, the Tar Heels have never lost an ACC Tournament game (57-0-3) and they have never lost a game to an ACC opponent in NCAA Tournament play. The Tar Heels have been involved in three ties in ACC Tournament play and one tie in NCAA Tournament play against conference foes.
Highlighting Head Coach Anson Dorrance
Head Coach Anson Dorrance is in his 31st season as the Tar Heel head coach. His teams have an all-time record of 692-36-22 (.937). Under Dorrance, UNC has won 19 NCAA Tournament championships out of the 27 played, one AIAW Tournament championship out of the one played, 19 ACC regular-season championships of the 23 decided, 20 ACC Tournament championships of the 22 decided and appeared in all 28 NCAA Tournaments while advancing to 24 of the 27 NCAA College Cups that have been played so far (final 4 teams). During his tenure, Dorrance's teams are 139-10-4 (.922) in ACC regular-season games, 57-0-3 (.974) in ACC Tournament matches and 102-7-1 (.932) in NCAA Tournament games. In 750 games, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,006 to 357, a margin of 2,649 goals.
Scouting The Tar Heels
2009 Record: 19-3-1, ACC 7-3
Current Streak: Won Seven
Head Coach: Anson Dorrance
Record at UNC: 692-36-22 (31st year)
Career Record: 692-36-22 (31st year)
Chief Assistant Coach: Bill Palladino
Goalkeeper Coach & Recruiting Coordinator: Chris Ducar
Volunteer Assistant: Cindy Parlow
Undergraduate Assistant: Mandy Moraca
2009 Statistical Leaders
Goals: Jessica McDonald, Casey Nogueira, 8
Assists: Casey Nogueira, 9
Points: Casey Nogueira, 25
GWG: Courtney Jones, 4
Saves: Ashlyn Harris, 38
2009 Individual Accolades
Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season: First Team, Whitney Engen, Sr., D; Tobin Heath, Sr. MF; Second Team, Casey Nogueira, Sr., F.
Top Drawer Soccer Rookie Team of the Season: Second Team: Amber Brooks, Fr., MF.
ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player: Casey Nogeuira, Sr., F.
All-ACC Tournament Team: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F; Kristi Eveland, Sr., D; Tobin Heath, Sr., MF; Whitney Engen, Sr., D; Ashlyn Harris, Sr., GK.
Soccer News Net Player of the Year Award Finalist: Whitney Engen, Sr., D.
Soccer America Preseason All-Americas: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F; Tobin Heath, Sr., MF; Whitney Engen, Sr., D
M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F; Tobin Heath, Sr., MF; Whitney Engen, Sr., D
Inn At St. Mary's Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team: Jessica McDonald, Jr., F (Offensive MVP); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Defensive MVP); Alyssa Rich, Fr., F; Tobin Heath, Sr., MF; Casey Nogueira, Sr., F.
Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team: Jessica McDonald, Jr., F (Offensive MVP); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Defensive MVP); Kristi Eveland, Sr., D; Rachel Givan, Jr., D; Ashlyn Harris, Sr., GK.
College Soccer 360 Primetime Performers Of The Week: Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 1); Alyssa Rich, Fr., F (Sept. 8); Tobin Heath, Sr., MF (Sept. 8); Nikki Washington, Sr., M (Sept. 15); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 29); Maria Lubrano, So., MF (Sept. 29); Casey Nogeuira, Sr., F (Nov. 9); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Nov. 9); Lucy Bronze, Fr., MF (Nov. 16)
Top Drawer Soccer Team Of The Week: Tobin Heath, Sr., MF (Sept. 1); Kristi Eveland, Sr., D (Sept. 8); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 8); Rachel Givan, Jr., D (Sept. 8); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 22); Casey Nogeuira, Sr., F (Nov. 2); Casey Nogeuira, Sr., F (Nov. 9); Rachel Givan, Jr., D (Nov. 16)
Soccer America Team Of The Week: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F (Aug. 25); Tobin Heath, Sr., MF (Sept. 1); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 8).
Progress Energy UNC Performer Of The Week: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F (Aug. 25); Tobin Heath, Sr., MF (Sept. 1); Whitney Engen, Sr., D (Sept. 8); Alyssa Rich, Fr., F (Sept. 29); Casey Nogeuira, Sr., F (Nov. 9).
ACC Player Of The Week: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F (Aug. 25).
Soccer America National Player Of The Week: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F (Aug. 25).
Top Drawer Soccer National Player Of The Week: Casey Nogueira, Sr., F (Nov. 9).
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Finalist: Kristi Eveland
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-America: Kristi Eveland, Sr., D
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-Americas: Whitney Engen, Sr., D; Ashlyn Harris, Sr., GK.
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District 3 All-Academic Team: Kristi Eveland, Sr., D; Whitney Engen, Sr., D; Ashlyn Harris, Sr., GK
ACC Defensive Player of the Year: Whitney Engen, Sr., D
First-Team All-ACC: Tobin Heath, Sr., MF; Whitney Engen, Sr., D; Ashlyn Harris, Sr., GK
Second-Team All-ACC: Jessica McDonald, Jr., F; Ali Hawkins, Jr., MF.
ACC All-Freshman Team: Amber Brooks, Fr., MF; Alyssa Rich, Fr., F.
The Carolina Depth Chart For The Maryland Game
UNC's Strikers
54, Casey Nogueira*, Sr.; 47, Jessica McDonald*, Jr.; 84, Courtney Jones*, So.; 00, Alyssa Rich, Fr.; 6, Brittani Bartok, So.; 37, Sterling Smith, Sr.; 11, Merritt Mathias, So.; 89, Katie Klimczak, Jr.; 23, Caroline Boneparth, Sr.; 36, Ashley Moore, Sr.; 42, Megan Brigman, Fr.
Midfielders
98, Tobin Heath*, Sr.; 4, Meghan Klingenberg*, Jr.; 22, Amber Brooks*, Fr.; 12, Lucy Bronze*, Fr.; 76, Ali Hawkins, Jr.; 91, Maria Lubrano, So.; 10, Erin Mikula, So.; 40, Emmalie Pfankuch, So.; 30, Ranee Premji, Fr.; 44, Kim Currie, So.; 47, Kristine Welsh-Loveman, Fr.
Defenders
9, Whitney Engen*, Sr.; 32, Kristi Eveland*, Sr.; 16, Rachel Givan*, Jr.; 71, Katie Lutz, Jr.
Goalkeepers
18, Ashlyn Harris*, Sr.; 21, Hannah Daly, Fr.; 00, Monica Welsh-Loveman, Jr.; 1, Amanda Tucker, Jr.;
*Probable Starter Versus Maryland Sunday. *Indicates player started NCAA second round game against Georgia.
CAROLINA SOCCER NOTES THIS WEEK
Series Notes
UNC and Maryland will be playing for the 32nd time in history on Saturday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 31-0-1. Carolina has won 11 successive games against the Terrapins, including two matches in 2009. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 1-0 at Ludwig Field on November 1 in the regular-season matchup between the two teams. Carolina also won 3-0 over the Terps in the quarterfinals of the 2009 ACC Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on November 4.
Player Notes
*Jessica McDonald shares the lead for the Tar Heels in goals scored this season with eight. She has already exceeded her 2008 season total of five goals by three markers. McDonald had the first multi-goal game of her career with two goals against Notre Dame on September 4.
•Sophomore Courtney Jones had three assists in UNC's season opener against UCLA on August 22. That was her career high for assists in a game. She had never had more than one assist in a game previously.
•Fellow sophomore forward Brittani Bartok had two assists in the match against the Bruins, equaling her career high, set previously against Illinois on November 22, 2008.
•Freshman Amber Brooks recorded the first point of her career when she assisted on Katie Klimczak's goal in the 87th minute of UNC's win over UCLA on August 22.
•Junior forward Katie Klimczak scored the second goal of her career in UNC's season opener against UCLA on August 22. Ironically, she has scored both of her career goals in season openers. She also tallied against Charlotte on August 22, 2008, exactly one year before she scored the goal against UCLA.
•Sophomore Emmalie Pfankuch had the first multi-point game of her career in UNC's win over UCLA as she had both a goal and an assist in the win over the Bruins.
•Nikki Washington had a pair of assists in UNC's 4-0 win over UCF on August 28, matching her career high for assists in a game. She also had two assists against Charlotte on August 22, 2008.
•Tobin Heath's two-goal output against UCF on August 28 was her first multi-goal game since scoring three goals against Clemson on September 25, 2008.
•Freshman forward Alyssa Rich had the first point of her career with an assist in Carolina's win at Notre Dame September 4. Rich has gone on to score five goals since then, including game-winning tallies against Marquette on September 6 and against Duke in overtime on September 24. Four of Rich's five goals this season came against ACC opponents.
•Ashlyn Harris' four saves against Notre Dame on September 4 were the most she had in a game since she had six against Stanford on September 12, 2008.
•Sophomore midfielder Maria Lubrano scored the first goal of her career against Duke on September 24, giving the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the 84th minute. The Tar Heels went on to win in overtime 2-1. Lubrano notched her second career goal and the first game-winning goal of her career when the Tar Heels beat Maryland 1-0 on November 1 in College Park, Md.
*Whitney Engen's goal against Wake Forest on September 27 was her first since she scored against UNC Greensboro on November 18, 2007. That was in her second year as a starting forward for the Tar Heels. Engen has played center back as a junior and senior.
•Merritt Mathias' assist in UNC's win over Wake Forest September 27 was her first point since she scored a goal against Maryland on September 28, 2008.
•Erin Mikula's assist against Wake Forest on September 27 was her first point in a game since she scored a goal against Clemson on October 5, 2008.
•Ashlyn Harris had five saves in UNC's 2-1 win at Boston College on October 1. That was only one save away from her career high for saves in a game which was six against Stanford on September 12, 2008.
•Freshman Ranee Premji recorded four assists in UNC's win against NC State October 9. That is one assist shy of the school record for assists in a game that was most recently set by Tar Heel midfield standout Kacey White four years ago. White had five assists in a game against Pepperdine on November 19, 2005. Three other Tar Heels have also had five assists in a game. They are Pam Kalinoski against UCF on October 20, 1991, April Heinrichs against Warren Wilson on October 29, 1983 and Emily Scruggs against the Duke Club Team on September 20, 1979.
•Senior Ashlyn Harris matched her career high for saves in a game when she had six against Florida State on October 22. She also had six saves in a match against Stanford in her junior year.
•Freshman midfielder Lucy Bronze had the first point of her career when she assisted on Meghan Klingenberg's second-half goal against Florida State on October 22.
•Junior defender Rachel Givan went the first 16 games of the season without recording a point but she had assists in back-to-back wins against Clemson and Maryland on October 30 and November 1. Givan's assist on a corner kick which led to Maria Lubrano's game-winning goal against the Terrapins was the first game-winning assist of her career.
•North Carolina freshman midfielder Lucy Bronze scored the first goal of her Tar Heel career on a header against Maryland in the quarterfinals of the 2009 ACC Tournament. Bronze scored the first game-winning goal of her career in Carolina's 1-0 win over High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She went on to score the fourth goal in UNC's NCAA second round win over Georgia. Bronze has scored all three goals of her freshman year in the post-season - one in the ACC Tournament and two in the NCAA Tournament.
•Tobin Heath's game-winning goal against Maryland in the 2009 ACC Tournament quarterfinals was her first game-winner of the season. She has five goals overall but had not scored in a game since she scored twice against UCF in the second game of the campaign.
•Casey Nogueira's two goals in the ACC Tournament championship game gave the senior forward three multi-goal games this season. She also scored twice against UCLA and twice against Clemson. Nogueira has 10 multi-goal games in her career as a Tar Heel.
•Kristi Eveland's assist on the game-winning goal in UNC's ACC Tournament championship game triumph over Florida State was the first point for the veteran senior defender since she had an assist against Virginia Tech on October 12, 2008.
•Sterling Smith's goal against Florida State in the ACC Tournament championship game was the first scored by the senior forward since she tallied against UNC Greensboro on September 12, 2007.
•Courtney Jones scored her fifth goal of the season against Georgia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and her first goal since she scored against NC State on October 9. Ironically, four of Jones' five goals have been game-winners this season and she leads the Tar Heels in that category. She has had game-winning goals for the Tar Heels this year against UCF, Notre Dame, NC State and Georgia.
•Casey Nogueira had two assists in the second round win over Georgia. She also had two assists in a game earlier this season against Notre Dame. Nogueira has five multi-assist games in her career.
•When Meghan Klingenberg scored on a penalty kick in UNC's NCAA second round win over Georgia, it kept the Tar Heels a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks this season. Casey Nogueira has scored on both of her attempts and Ali Hawkins is also 2-for-2 in PKs this season.
General Notes
•North Carolina heads into the NCAA Tournament third round ranked 15th in the nation in scoring offense. The Tar Heels are averaging 2.39 goals per game in 2009.
•Carolina's 55 goals this season are the fewest UNC has scored in a single season in Tar Heel history. The previous low was 56 goals by the 2007 team. However, the Tar Heels can equal or surpass that total against Maryland Saturday.
•The 10 goals allowed by Carolina this year are the fewest number surrendered by UNC since the 1998 team allowed seven goals.
•The Tar Heels are currently in fourth place in goals against average at 0.423.
•Carolina is in third place in NCAA Division I in shutout percentage at 0.696.
•The Tar Heels are ranked fourth in NCAA Division I in won-lost-tied percentage at 0.848.
•Senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris is currently in third place in the nation in goals against average at 0.393.
•When Casey Nogueira scored on a penalty kick in the 13th minute of UNC's ACC Tournament championship game triumph over Florida State, North Carolina eclipsed the 3,000-goal plateau in program history. In 750 games, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,006 to 357, a margin of 2,649 goals.
UNC has averaged scoring 4.01 goals per game in the first 750 games since the inception of the program in 1979.
•Senior defender Kristi Eveland became only the 33rd player in NCAA history and only the 12th UNC player to ever play in 100 career games when she started the ACC Tournament semifinal game against Boston College. Eveland has played in every game in her career at UNC (103) and has missed only three starts. Eveland started for the 100th time in her career in the NCAA second round against Georgia, the most starting nods of any current Tar Heel player.
Robin Confer (1994-97) holds the Tar Heel school record and NCAA record for games played in a career with 107. Yael Averbuch (2005-08) holds the UNC and NCAA records for games started in a career with 105.
•Whitney Engen played in the 100th game of her career in the NCAA Tournament first round game against High Point. She joined Eveland in that category and become the 13th Tar Heel in history to play in 100 games in a career. Engen was also the 34th player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. Engen has started 99 career games heading into Saturday's game against Maryland.
•Through last Sunday's Georgia game, Tar Heel players who will have played in 100 or more career games are Robin Confer with 107 games, Yael Averbuch with 105 games, Rebekah McDowell with 104 games, Cindy Parlow and Kristi Eveland with 103 games, Alyssa Ramsey, Rakel Karvelsson, Tiffany Roberts, Staci Wilson, Nel Fettig and Debbie Keller with 102 games, Whitney Engen with 101 games and Lorrie Fair with 100 games. Among current Tar Heels, Casey Nogueira is next with 98 career games played through last Sunday's game against Georgia.
As of last Sunday's match versus the Bulldogs, games started leaders in UNC history are Yael Averbuch with 105, Cindy Parlow, Tiffany Roberts and Danielle Borgman with 101, Kristi Eveland with 100 and Whitney Engen with 99.
•The ACC Tournament provided some oddity for the Tar Heels in terms of playing seeded teams in tournament settings. The semifinal game against Boston College marked only the second time in 59 games in ACC Tournament history in which the Tar Heels played as the lower seed. The first instance came on November 6, 1994 when second-seeded UNC beat top-seeded Duke 4-2 in the ACC Tournament championship game at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were the lower seed for the third time in 60 games when they played the top-seeded Seminoles in the ACC Tournament championship game on November 8, beating the Seminoles 3-0.
•Against Georgia in the NCAA Tournament second round game, the UNC defense held strong for the seventh straight game as Carolina recorded its seventh straight shutout win since falling 1-0 at Miami on October 25. Senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, a first-team All-ACC selection, was not forced to make a save against the Bulldogs as UNC's defense limited the Bulldogs to only four shots in the game.
Kristi Eveland, Rachel Givan and Whitney Engen join Harris as the starters on UNC's back line. Overall, the Tar Heel defense has allowed only 10 goals in 23 games this season and last Sunday's win over Georgia was its 16th shutout of the season and Carolina's seventh in a row.
UNC ranks third in the NCAA in shutout percentage as those 16 shutouts in 23 matches equate to a percentage of .696. Of the 10 goals UNC has allowed this season, exactly half (5), came in only two of the 23 games as UCLA scored twice against Carolina and Florida State three times. Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Miami each scored once against the Tar Heels.
Heading into the Maryland game, UNC has not allowed a goal in 652 minutes and three seconds of play since Beverly Goebel of Miami scored at 80:11 of the Hurricanes' 1-0 win over UNC on October 25 in Coral Gables, Fla.
•Carolina has played 19 of its 23 games against teams which were selected to play in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. UNC is 16-2-1 in those 19 games.
•North Carolina has clearly played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation so far this season. UNC is 19-3-1 in its first 23 games and 14 of those 23 games have come against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final regular-season NSCAA national coaches poll of the 2009 campaign.
In fact, the Tar Heels have played seven games against teams ranked in the NSCAA Top 10. Carolina's tremendous strength of schedule is one of the reasons it was ranked No. 2 in the final RPI this season. That No. 2 RPI came despite the fact the Tar Heels had three losses and a tie this season.
In games against Top 25 teams, the Tar Heels beat No. 3 UCLA 7-2, beat No. 5 Notre Dame 6-0, lost to No. 6 Florida State 3-2 in double overtime and then beat the Seminoles 3-0 in the ACC Tournament championship game, beat No. 7 Boston College 2-1 in the regular season and 1-0 in double overtime in the ACC Tournament semifinals, beat No. 10 LSU 1-0, beat No. 13 UCF 4-0, beat No. 14 Wake Forest 4-0, lost to No. 17 Virginia Tech 1-0, beat No. 19 Maryland 1-0 in the regular season and then beat the Terps 3-0 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, beat No. 22 Texas A&M 2-0 and beat No. 24 Marquette 1-0.
•UNC's three ACC losses in 2009 equal the most the Tar Heels have had in a single season in history. The 2000 team also had three losses, finishing the regular-season at 4-3 in the league. That 2000 team went on to win both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament championships. The 2009 team has accomplished the first half of the postseason double by winning the ACC Tournament championship.
•With back-to-back losses to Florida State and Miami late in the regular season, UNC dropped successive games for the first time since 2000 and for only the sixth time in school history. UNC has never lost three games in succession in its 31-year history.
•Despite three ACC losses this year, UNC has amazingly still only lost 10 ACC matches in 23 years of conference competition beginning in 1987. Furthermore, UNC has never lost an ACC Tournament match and has never lost an NCAA Tournament match to an ACC opponent.
•All three of Carolina's losses this year have come by a single goal. UNC has not lost a game by a margin of more than one goal since the final game of the 1985 season. That was a 2-0 loss to George Mason in the NCAA championship game. That two-goal loss came 24 seasons ago.
•UNC has allowed only one first-half goal in first 23 games of the season. Florida State was the only team to score against UNC in the first half this season with that goal coming in the seventh minute in the Seminoles' 3-2 double overtime win over the Tar Heels on October 22. Eight of the goals UNC has allowed this year have come in the second half and one in the second overtime period.
•Carolina's starting defense of senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris as well as senior defenders Whitney Engen and Kristi Eveland and junior defender Rachel Givan earlier this season keyed an incredible effort which resulted in a scoreless streak of nearly 750 minutes of action. UNC had not allowed a goal in 742 minutes and 15 seconds beginning when UCLA's Sydney Leroux tallied against Carolina at the 86:39 mark of a 7-2 Tar Heel win on August 22, 2009. However, Duke's KayAnne Gummersall broke that scoreless streak when she scored against Carolina at the 88:54 mark of the match with the Blue Devils on September 24.
During that scoreless streak, the Tar Heels posted seven successive complete shutouts against UCF, UNC Greensboro, Notre Dame, Marquette, Texas A&M, LSU and Auburn.
•The Tar Heel defense is currently on a seven-match shutout string with a 3-0 win over Clemson, a 1-0 win over Maryland, a 3-0 win over Maryland, a 1-0 win over Boston College, a 3-0 win over Florida State, a 1-0 win over High Point and a 4- win over Georgia. UNC has not allowed a goal in 652 minutes and three seconds of play since Miami's Beverly Goebel scored at 80:11 of a match on October 25 in Coral Gables, Fla. The last time Carolina posted eight shutouts in a row was in 1997.
•UNC's defense has allowed only 27 shots in the past seven games combined. Carolina did not allow a shot by Clemson on October 29. Since then Maryland took nine shots on November 1, Maryland took one shot on November 4, Boston College took five shots on November 6, Florida State took eight shots on November 8, High Point did not take a shot on November 13 and Georgia took four shots on November 15.
•Carolina's defensive unit headed up by Ashlyn Harris, Kristi Eveland, Whitney Engen and Rachel Givan has now allowed only 12 goals over the last 3,082 minutes and 16 seconds of action dating back to last season's game against Florida State on October 30, 2008.
•Dating back to a 1-0 win over Miami on November 2, 2008 at Fetzer Field, UNC has now posted shutouts in 24 of its last 33 games. The only teams to score against the Tar Heels since then were Texas A&M (once in the 2008 NCAA quarterfinals), Notre Dame (once in the 2008 NCAA championship game), UCLA (twice on August 22), Duke (once on September 24), Boston College (once on October 1), Virginia Tech (once on October 4), Virginia (once on October 17), Florida State (three times on October 22) and Miami (once on October 25).
•Carolina had a 35-match unbeaten streak broken when the Tar Heels fell to Virginia Tech 1-0 on October 4. UNC went 32-0-3 in a span starting with a 4-0 win over Kentucky on September 6, 2008 through a 2-1 win at Boston College on October 1, 2009.
•Carolina has gone 39-4-1 in ACC regular-season matches since a 2-1 loss to Duke at Fetzer Field on October 9, 2005. The losses were to Miami in 2007 and Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami in 2009 while the tie was with Florida State in 2008.
•UNC started the season 10-0-1 before losing to Virginia Tech. The last time UNC went undefeated through its first 11 games was 2005 when the Tar Heels won their first 13 games in a row before losing at home to Duke.
•At 7-0-1, Carolina completed its non-conference regular-season schedule without a loss for the first time since 2005.
•UNC's win over Boston College 2-1 on October 1 came as the result of a pair of penalty kick goals after the Eagles committed handballs in the penalty area. The last time UNC scored goals on two penalty kicks in the same game came on October 16, 2005 when the Tar Heels beat Virginia Tech 3-1 in Blacksburg, Va. with Kacey White and Heather O'Reilly scoring on penalty kicks. Casey Nogueira and Ali Hawkins scored the penalty kicks against Boston College. In beating Boston College twice this season, the Tar Heels totaled three goals on two penalty kicks and an own goal.
•Carolina's margin of victory in the 2-1 triumph over Virginia on October 17 was also via a penalty kick after a Virginia defender committed a handball in the penalty area with 1:58 left in regulation. Ali Hawkins converted the penalty kick to give the Tar Heels a 2-1 win.
•Carolina has scored in the opening minute of two matches this year. Tobin Heath scored 41 seconds into a 7-2 win over UCLA on August 22 and Courtney Jones scored 23 seconds into a 6-0 win over Notre Dame on September 4.
•Senior defender Kristi Eveland was tapped October 5 as one of 10 finalists for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Carolina has now had a finalist for the award in each of its first three years of existence as Jessica Maxwell was so honored in 2007 and Yael Averbuch was so tapped in 2008. Eveland is the only ACC player to make the list of 10 finalists.
•The seven goals scored by the Tar Heels against the UCLA on August 22, 2009 were the most UNC has scored in a match since November 10, 2006 when the Tar Heels defeated UNC Asheville 7-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Fetzer Field.
•With the win over UCLA on August 22, UNC won its second straight season opener after having lost two in a row in 2006 and 2007. The Tar Heels are 27-3-1 all-time in season openers with losses in 1983 (road), 2006 (road) and 2007 (home) and a tie in 1985 (home).
•The seven goals scored by UNC against UCLA on August 22 were the most scored in a season opener by the Tar Heels since August 26, 2005 when UNC opened the season with a 7-1 win over Tennessee in Wichita, Kan. They were the most goals scored by the Tar Heels in a home opener since September 6, 2002 when the Tar Heels defeated Guilford 9-0.
•Carolina's five goals against NC State October 9 were the most scored by the Tar Heels against an ACC opponent since October 24, 2008 when the Tar Heels beat Virginia 5-1 in Charlottesville, Va. The five-goal separation against NC State was UNC's largest in an ACC game since the five-goal margin against NC State on October 17, 2008 in a 5-0 UNC win.
•UNC heads into its match with Maryland with a record of 692-36-22 overall, a winning percentage of .937.
•The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,006 to 357 in 750 games since the origin of the program in 1979. That is a scoring margin of 2,649 goals.
•With 128 career points, Casey Nogueira is now 16th in Tar Heel history in career points. Shannon Higgins (1986-89) ranks 15th with 129 career points.
•Casey Nogueira has now scored 50 goals in her career. She is 15th in career goals. Stephanie Zeh ranks 14th in career goals with 55.
•UNC's average record per year in its first 30 years of soccer was 22.43 wins per year, 1.1 losses per year and 0.7 ties per year heading into the 2009 campaign.
•UNC is 9-3 in one-goal games in 2009 and 15-2-1 in shutout games in 2009. UNC has posted 16 shutouts this year in 23 games while being shutout three times themselves. The last time Carolina was shutout three times in a season was 2007.
•In the final regular-season national polls, UNC was ranked No. 4 by the NSCAA, No. 4 by Soccer Times and No. 3 by Soccer America.
•UNC has won 20 or more matches in a season in 19 of the past 20 seasons. In three of the six non-20 win seasons in Carolina history, UNC still won the NCAA championship. Carolina won NCAA championships in 1982, 1983 and 1988 despite not winning 20 games in those seasons. A win over Maryland Saturday would give the Tar Heels their 20th 20-win season in the past 21 campaigns.
•Of the 31 players on the Tar Heel roster in 2009, nine are seniors. This group formed the core of a group which won a national championship in its freshman year in 2006 and then came back to win another national title in 2008.
•Senior forward Casey Nogueira, senior midfielder Tobin Heath and senior defender Whitney Engen were named to the Watch List for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy. Nogueira was one of three finalists for the award last year. Heath was a semifinalist for the award in 2008.
•Three Tar Heel women's soccer players were honored this year with their selection to the ESPN The Magazine District 3 All-Academic Team. Congratulations go to senior defenders Kristi Eveland and Whitney Engen and senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris. On the national level, Eveland was named a first-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America while Ashlyn Harris and Whitney Engen were named second-team Academic All-Americas.
•UNC has had 13 selections for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first, second and third teams in the past five seasons, including three in 2009. Those 13 selections came on a total of only 15 nominations for the Academic All-America teams by the UNC Athletic Communications Office during those five years as schools are limited to three nominees per year. Carolina also had seven women's soccer players named Academic All-Americas from 1983-2001, giving the program 20 selections since the Academic All-America program began in 1983.
•Following is a summary of those 10 selections in the past four seasons.
•2005 - Heather O'Reilly, second team; Lindsay Tarpley, third team.
•2006 - Heather O'Reilly, first team; Anna Rodenbough, second team; Yael Averbuch, third team.
•2007 - Yael Averbuch, second team; Anna Rodenbough, second team.
•2008 - Kristi Eveland, first team; Yael Averbuch, first team; Anna Rodenbough, second team.
•2009 - Kristi Eveland, first team; Whitney Engen, second team; Ashlyn Harris, second team.
•Casey Nogueira scored 25 goals in the 2008 season, eight more than she scored in her first two seasons combined as a Tar Heel. The 25 goals equaled the eighth most in a season in Carolina history. The last time a Tar Heel had as many as 25 goals in a season was 2000 when Meredith Florance scored 26.
•Carolina's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament ensured that it played in The Big Dance for the 28th successive year. Only North Carolina and Connecticut had made the NCAA Tournament field in each of the first 26 years of tournament play. However, the Huskies did not make the tournament field last season so Carolina now has the distinction of being the only team to make the NCAA field in all 28 years.
•UNC has an all-time record of 28-6-21 all-time in overtime games in its history. Carolina was 1-0-2 in overtime in 2008 and is 2-1-1 in 2009. UNC's last overtime loss came on October 22, 2009 when Florida State beat the Tar Heels 3-2 in double overtime in Tallahassee, Fla. The Tar Heels' last overtime win came against Boston College 1-0 on November 6, 2009 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
•Nineteen current and former UNC players are members of different full and youth U.S. National Soccer Teams in 2009 as part of their player pools.
•Full National Team members include Lori Chalupny, `05, D; Kendall Fletcher, `05, D; Tobin Heath, `09, MF; Kristine Lilly, `92, MF; Heather O'Reilly, `06, MF; Lindsay Tarpley, `05, MF; Kacey White, `05, MF; Cat Whitehill, `03, D.
•U23 National Team members include Yael Averbuch, `08, MF; Whitney Engen, `09, MF; Meghan Klingenberg, `10, MF; Allie Long, `08, MF; Jessica McDonald, `10, F; Casey Nogueira, `09, F; Nikki Washington, `09, F.
•U20 National Team members include Brittani Bartok, `11, F; Amber Brooks, `12, D; Courtney Jones, `11, F; Alyssa Rich, `12, F; Rachel Wood, `12, MF.
•Carolina had 12 players compete in the WPS in its first year of existence in 2009. That was the most of any school in the country. Yael Averbuch, '08, Jenni Branam, '02, Heather O'Reilly, '06, and Kacey White, '05, all played for the WPS champion Sky Blue FC. Other Tar Heels in the WPS this past season were Lori Chalupny, '05, Kendall Fletcher, '05, Kristine Lilly, '92, Allie Long, '08, Keri Sanchez, '94, Lindsay Tarpley, '05, Maggie Tomecka, '03, and Cat Whitehill, '03.
