2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship Semifinal Game
North Carolina (21-3-1, NSCAA No. 4, Soccer America No. 3, Soccer Times No. 4) vs. Notre Dame (21-3-1, NSCAA No. 5, Soccer America No. 4, Soccer Times No. 5) Friday, December 4, 2009, 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST)
Aggie Soccer Stadium
College Station, Texas
Looking Ahead To The Matchup With Notre Dame
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 Big East Conference champion Notre Dame, the No. 2 seed in the lower right quadrant of the bracket, will meet Friday at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST) in a semifinal round match of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship at Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas. This will mark the fourth successive year in which the Tar Heels and the Fighting Irish have met in the NCAA Tournament, but the first time it will be in a semifinal match.
Both Notre Dame and North Carolina have advanced to the semifinal round after winning four preliminary round matches prior to the 2009 NCAA Women's College Cup. The Tar Heels have advanced to the semifinals 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 Tar Heels downed No. 19 Maryland 1-0 in the NCAA third round and then defeated No. 9 Wake Forest 5-2 in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish have defeated IUPUI 5-0, Central Michigan 6-1, Oregon State 1-0 and Florida State 2-0 in the opening four rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Records & Rankings
The Tar Heels enter the match ranked in the Top 4 in the nation in all three national polls while the Fighting Irish are ranked in the Top 5 in the nation in all three national polls. UNC is ranked No. 3 by Soccer America and the Tar Heels are ranked No. 4 by both Soccer Times and by the NSCAA coaches. The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 4 by Soccer America and Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 by both Soccer Times and by the NSCAA coaches poll.
Carolina is 21-3-1 overall and it finished 7-3 in the ACC regular season. The Fighting Irish enter the match with the identical record to the Tar Heels at 21-3-1.
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 NCAA Tournaments.
Carolina has won 19 of the previous 27 NCAA Tournament titles. Notre Dame and Portland have won two championships each while George Mason, Florida, Santa Clara and Southern California have each won one title.
The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 104-7-1 in NCAA Tournament games heading into Friday's matchup with Notre Dame. Carolina has a winning percentage of .933 in NCAA Tournament games. Notre Dame is second in winning percentage at .787 with an NCAA record of 53-14-1. UCLA, Portland and Florida State are the other schools that round out the top five in winning percentage, all at over 70 percent. In terms of total victories in NCAA play, there have been only six schools that have won at least 40 games. They are UNC with 104, Notre Dame with 53, Portland with 46, Connecticut with 44, UCLA with 42 and Santa Clara with 41.
The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 389-61 in their 112 NCAA Tournament matches.
Prior to this year, UNC has won 19 NCAA titles in the 27-year history of the tournament and reached the championship game 22 out of 27 times.
With last Friday's win over Wake Forest UNC has now advanced to the semifinals 25 times in the 28 NCAA Tournaments played in history.
The Tar Heels have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in all 28 NCAA Tournaments. Last Friday's quarterfinal appearance versus Wake Forest marked the 26th time in 28 years that Carolina reached the final eight of the tournament.
After beating Wake Forest 5-2 last Friday, UNC now has an all-time record of 25-0-1 in NCAA Tournament quarterfinal games. Although Carolina has only reached the quarterfinals the past two years in a row, UNC does possess the longest streak of quarterfinal appearances in NCAA history with 22 such appearances from 1982-2003. Santa Clara is second on the list with 11 straight quarterfinal appearances from 1995-2005. North Carolina has made 26 overall appearances in the NCAA quarterfinals. Connecticut is second with 18 quarterfinal appearances followed by Santa Clara and Portland with 14 each and Notre Dame with 13.
The Tar Heels reached the College Cup weekend 22 straight years from 1982-2003 before that streak was ended by Santa Clara in 2004. Altogether UNC has appeared in the College Cup 25 times between 1982 and 2009.
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 lost to Notre Dame 3-2 in the Round of 16 in 2007 at Fetzer Field.
Carolina improved to 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 NCAA Tournament play since 1982.
The Tar Heels have won at least its first two games in every NCAA Tournament in which it has played.
North Carolina has appeared in 22 NCAA championship matches, followed in second place by Notre Dame with seven title game appearances and Connecticut with four championship match appearances.
After beating Wake Forest 5-2 last Friday, the Tar Heels are 17-0-1 against ACC opponents in NCAA Tournament games. The lone blemish on UNC's otherwise perfect mark was a 1-1 tie with Florida State in the 2005 NCAA quarterfinals. After the game ended in a tie following two overtime periods, the Seminoles advanced to the NCAA semifinals by outscoring the Tar Heels 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout.
Head Coach Anson Dorrance is in his 31st season as the Tar Heel head coach. His teams have an all-time record of 694-36-22 (.938). 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 25 of the 28 NCAA College Cups that have been played (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 104-7-1 (.933) in NCAA Tournament games. In 752 games, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,012 to 359, a margin of 2,653 goals.
Scouting The Tar Heels
2009 Record: 21-3-1, ACC 7-3
Current Streak: Won Nine
Head Coach: Anson Dorrance
Record at UNC: 694-36-22 (31st year)
Career Record: 694-36-22 (31st year)
Chief Assistant Coach: Bill Palladino
Goalkeeper Coach & Recruiting Coordinator: Chris Ducar
Volunteer Assistant: Cindy Parlow
Undergraduate Assistant: Mandy Moraca
UNC and Notre Dame will be playing for the 18th time in history on Friday night in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. The series began in 1993 when the Tar Heels beat the Fighting Irish 3-0 at the Challenge Classic in Houston, Texas.
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 11-4-2. Carolina has won two successive games against the Fighting Irish, including a 6-0 win earlier this season on September 4, 2009 in Notre Dame, Ind. in the Inn At St. Mary's Soccer Classic. This marks the fourth straight year in which the two teams have played in the NCAA Tournament. UNC beat the Fighting Irish 2-1 in the 2006 and 2008 NCAA championship games while Notre Dame beat the Tar Heels 3-2 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament third round.
North Carolina is 6-2 in NCAA Tournament games against Notre Dame and 1-1 in NCAA semifinal games against the Fighting Irish. Carolina is 8-1-1 against the Fighting Irish at neutral sites. Ironically, all four times Notre Dame has defeated North Carolina, the games have been played in the state of North Carolina, including three wins by the Fighting Irish at Fetzer Field. The two ties have been played in St. Louis, Mo., and Notre Dame, Ind.
Other than Carolina's ACC opponents, the series with Notre Dame has been one of the most active for the Tar Heels. Among non-conference teams, UNC has played William & Mary 22 times, Central Florida 19 times, Santa Clara 19 times, Connecticut 18 times, George Mason 17 times and Notre Dame 17 times.
Player Notes
*Jessica McDonald ranks second on the team this season in goals scored 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. McDonald's 22 points are two more than she had in the 2008 season when she had 20 points.
•Ali Hawkins has 15 points this season, matching her career high for points in a season set with 15 as a freshman in 2006.
•With a goal against Wake Forest last Friday, Meghan Klingenberg has now equaled her career season high for goals in a season with five. She also had five as a freshman in 2007.
•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. Previously, she had never had more than one assist in a game. Jones has seven assists this year, four more than she had in her freshman year, and the third-highest total on the 2009 team.
•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. Brooks has three assists on the season overall.
•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. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels Washington was lost to the Tar Heels for the season in the season's seventh game when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
•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. Heath has 18 points this season, the second most in a season in her career. She's put up those offensive numbers despite missing five matches due to National Team duty during the ACC regular season (Duke, Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami and Clemson) as well as the match with NC State due to injury.
•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. She has 12 points overall on the season.
•Ashlyn Harris' four saves against Notre Dame on September 4 were the most she had in a game since she had six saves 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 that match 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. Lubrano also has two assists this season.
*Whitney Engen's goal against Wake Forest on September 27 was her first since she scored against UNC Greensboro on November 18, 2007. That came in her second year as a starting forward for the Tar Heels. Engen has played center back as a junior and senior. In addition to the goal against Wake Forest, Engen also has three assists this season.
•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 in UNC's 3-2 double overtime loss to the Seminoles. She also had six saves in a match against Stanford in her junior year. She had the six saves against the Cardinal in only 65 minutes of action.
•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. Bronze has produced all nine of her season points (three goals and three assists) in the past 11 matches.
•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 prior to the ACC Tournament she had not scored in a game since she scored twice against UCF in the second game of the campaign. Heath missed five games this season while practicing and playing with the U.S. Women's National Team.
•Casey Nogueira's three goals in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals gave the senior forward four multi-goal games this season. Previously she had two-goal games against UCLA, Clemson and Florida State in the ACC Tournament championship game. Nogueira has 11 multi-goal games in her career as a Tar Heel.
•Casey Nogueira has now recorded four hat tricks in her career after scoring three goals in the NCAA quarterfinals against Wake Forest. She had four goals against NC State on October 17, 2008 and three goals against Ohio State on September 20, 2007, against Wake Forest on October 5, 2008 and against Wake Forest on November 27, 2009.
•Casey Nogueira is UNC's leading scorer in the 2009 NCAA Tournament with four goals and three assists for 11 points. Nogueira has 32 career NCAA Tournament points on 12 goals and eight assists.
•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. It was 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 along with Casey Nogueira, who also has four. Jones has had game-winning goals for the Tar Heels this year against UCF, Notre Dame, NC State and Georgia.
•Casey Nogueira's game-winning goals this season have come against UCLA, Clemson, Florida State in the ACC Tournament and Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.
•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. Three of UNC's penalty kicks have been the result of opponent hand balls and Courtney Jones earned the other two PKs after she was taken down in the box.
General Notes
•UNC in National Scoring Stats: North Carolina heads into the NCAA Tournament semifinal round ranked 13th in the nation in scoring offense. The Tar Heels are averaging 2.44 goals per game in 2009. UNC has scored 61 goals this season in 25 games.
•Tar Heels Stingy On The Defensive End: The 12 goals allowed by Carolina this year in 25 games are the fewest number surrendered by UNC since the 2003 team allowed 11 goals in 27 games.
•Carolina Ranks Third In Goals Against Average: The Tar Heels are currently in third place in goals against average in NCAA Division I at 0.47. The Tar Heels have allowed only 12 goals this season in 2,309 minutes played in 25 games.
•UNC Among National Leaders In Shutouts: Carolina is in third place in NCAA Division I in shutout percentage at 0.68. The Tar Heels have recorded 17 shutouts in 25 games. The only two teams with a higher shutout percentage are Central Michigan at .792 and Marquette at 0.696.
•UNC's Winning Percentage: The Tar Heels are ranked fourth in NCAA Division I in won-lost-tied percentage at 0.86 along with Notre Dame. The top three teams in won-lost-tied percentage are Stanford, Portland and UCLA.
•Harris Ranks Second Nationally Among Goalkeepers: Senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris is currently in third place in the nation in goals against average at 0.45. Harris has played in 23 games this season. She missed the Duke and Wake Forest games while practicing with the U.S. National Team in Carson, Calif. Harris has played 1,983 minutes and six seconds of the team's total minutes played of 2,309 minutes and one second. She has allowed 10 goals in those 1,983 minutes for a goals against average of 0.45.
•Tar Heels Reach 3,000 Goal Plateau: 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 752 games, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,012 to 359, a margin of 2,653 goals. UNC has averaged scoring 4.005 goals per game in the first 752 games since the inception of the program in 1979.
•Carolina Reaches 20-Win Plateau Again In 2009 Season: Carolina's 1-0 victory over Maryland in the NCAA Tournament third round improved the Tar Heels' 2009 mark to 20-3-1. UNC has won 20 or more matches in a season in 20 of the past 21 seasons. The only season since 1988 when Carolina did not win 20 matches was 1997 when the Tar Heels finished 19-4-1.
Overall, Carolina has posted 20 or more wins in a season 25 times in 31 years as a varsity program. In five of the other six years UNC has posted either 18 or 19 victories.
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.
•Eveland Reaches 100-Game Standard: Senior defender Kristi Eveland became only the 33rd player in NCAA history and only the 13th UNC player to ever play in 100 career games when she started the ACC Tournament semifinal game against Boston College. Heading into the NCAA semifinal game against Notre Dame, Eveland has played in every game in her career at UNC with 105 career games played. That equals the second most games played in UNC history.
•Eveland Surpasses 100 Career 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. With 102 career starts through the NCAA Tournament's quarterfinal round, Eveland is in second place in school history in that category behind Yael Averbuch's school record of 104 career starts.
•Engen Moves Up On UNC's Career Games Played Chart: Whitney Engen played in the 100th game of her career in the NCAA Tournament first round game against High Point. She joined defensive line mate Kristi Eveland in the 100 games played category and become the 14th 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 101 career games heading into Friday's game against Notre Dame.
Nogeuira Joines 100-Match Club: Senior forward Casey Nogueira became the 15th player in UNC history to play in 100 career matches when she did so against Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
•15 Tar Heels Have Now Played In 100 Career Games: A total of 15 UNC players have now played in at least 100 games in their careers through the quarterfinal round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The complete list includes:
107--Robin Confer, F, 1994-97
105--Yael Averbuch, MF, 2005-08
105--Kristi Eveland, D, 2006-Present
104--Rebekah McDowell, MF, 1996-99
103--Cindy Parlow, F, 1995-98
103--Whitney Engen, D, 2006-Present
102--Alyssa Ramsey, F, 2000-03
102--Rakel Karvelsson, F, 1995-98
102--Tiffany Roberts, MF, 1995-98
102--Staci Wilson, D, 1994-97
102--Nel Fettig, D, 1994-97
102--Debbie Keller, F, 1993-96
101--Danielle Borgman, D, 1998-2001
100--Lorrie Fair, D, 1996-99
100--Casey Nogueira, F, 2006-09
•Eveland and Engen Move Into 100 Games Started List: Two Tar Heel defensive standouts, seniors Kristi Eveland and Whitney Engen, have both moved into the exclusive 100 games started list. A total of six Tar Heels have now started 100 or more games in their careers. The complete list includes:
104--Yael Averbuch, MF, 2005-08
102--Kristi Eveland, D, 2006-Present
101--Cindy Parlow, F, 1995-98
101--Tiffany Roberts, MF, 1995-98
101--Danielle Borgman, D, 1998-2001
101--Whitney Engen, D, 2006-Present
•Tar Heels Win ACC Tournament As Lower Seed For Only The Third Time In History: North Carolina won the ACC Tournament in 2009 for only the third time in history without being the tournament's top-seeded club. Going into this year's tournament UNC had played only one ACC Tournament game as a lower seed. This year's ACC Tournament semifinal game against Boston College marked only the second time in 59 games in tournament history in which the Tar Heels played as the lower seed. No. 3 seed UNC defeated No. 2 seed Boston College 1-0 in double overtime to advance to the 2009 ACC Tournament final.
The first time UNC played as the lower seed was 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.
Two days after beating Boston College, the Tar Heels were the lower seeded team for the third time in 60 ACC Tournament games when the No. 3 seeded Tar Heels played top-seeded Florida State in the ACC Tournament championship game, beating the Seminoles 3-0.
•Nogueira Turns It On In The Post-Season: Casey Nogueira has turned it on in post-season play once again. She had six goals in the regular season but has doubled that total with six post-season goals, two in the ACC Tournament and four in the NCAA Tournament.
•Carolina's Defense Carries The Day In Post-Season Play: Against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament third round game, the UNC defense earned a clean sheet for the eighth straight game since falling 1-0 at Miami on October 25. Senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, a first-team All-ACC selection, was forced to make two saves against the Terrapins as UNC's defense limited Maryland to only six shots in the game.
Kristi Eveland, Rachel Givan and Whitney Engen join Harris as the starters on UNC's back line for the second straight year. Overall, the Tar Heel defense has allowed only 12 goals in 25 games this season and the NCAA third round win over Maryland was its 17th shutout of the season and Carolina's eighth in a row. That was the longest successive string of shutouts for the Tar Heels since 1997 when UNC shut out eight straight opponents from October 3 through October 26, 1997.
UNC ranks third in the NCAA in shutout percentage as those 17 shutouts in 25 matches equate to a percentage of .680. Of the 12 goals UNC has allowed this season, more than half (7), came in only three of the 25 games played as UCLA scored twice against Carolina in the season opener, Florida State tallied three times in the Seminoles overtime win at FSU and Wake Forest scored twice in the NCAA quarterfinals. Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Miami each scored once against the Tar Heels.
When Wake Forest scored at the 56:49 mark of the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, it marked the end of a remarkable streak of 798 minutes and 52 seconds in which the Tar Heel defense had not surrendered a goal. UNC did not allow a goal from the 80:11 mark of the match at Miami on October 25 when the Hurricanes' Beverly Goebel scored until Kaley Fountain of Wake Forest broke the streak on November 27 with her goal at 56:49 of the match.
UNC's defense has recorded two different streaks of over 740 minutes of holding opponents scoreless this year. In addition to the 798 minute, 52 second streak that ended against Wake Forest last Friday, there was also a streak of 742 minutes and 15 seconds in which the Tar Heels held opponents scoreless earlier this season. That streak started in the 87th minute against UCLA on August 22 and ended late in the 89th minute against Duke on September 24.
•Two Long Shutout Streaks In 2009: UNC has had shutout streaks this year of both eight matches (October 29 through November 1) and seven matches (August 28 through September 20).
•Nine Shutout Strings Of Eight Or More Games: UNC had a shutout string of eight games ended by Wake Forest last Friday in the NCAA quarterfinals. It marked the ninth time in UNC history Carolina had posted at least eight shutouts in a row. The complete list includes: Consecutive Shutouts
13-North Carolina (Sept. 24, 1989-Oct. 28, 1989)
12-North Carolina (Sept. 6, 1987-Oct. 12, 1987)
10-North Carolina (Sept. 27, 1986-Oct. 19, 1986)
9-North Carolina (Oct. 18, 1987-Nov. 22, 1987)
9-North Carolina (Oct. 6, 1984-Oct. 14, 1984)
8-North Carolina (Oct. 29-Nov. 21, 2009)
8-North Carolina (Oct. 3-Oct.26, 1997)
8-North Carolina (Oct. 22-Nov. 25, 1995)
8-North Carolina (Oct. 1-Oct. 14, 1980)
•The Tar Heels Versus The NCAA Tournament Field: Carolina has played 21 of its 25 games against teams which were selected to play in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. UNC is 18-2-1 in those 21 games. UNC was 3-1 against non-NCAA Tournament teams this year. The only games UNC played this year against teams which failed to make the NCAA Tournament were against UNC Greensboro (1-0 win), NC State (5-0 win), Miami (0-1 loss) and Clemson (3-0 win).
•Carolina Plays Its Toughest Schedule Ever In 2009: North Carolina has played in 2009 the toughest schedule the Tar Heels have ever faced in 31 varsity seasons in the opinion of UNC head coach Anson Dorrance. The numbers bear out Dorrance's claim. UNC is 21-3-1 in its first 25 games. Sixteen of those 25 games have come against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final regular-season NSCAA national coaches poll of the 2009 campaign and 21 of the 25 games have been played against teams which made the 2009 NCAA Tournament field.
In fact, the Tar Heels have played seven games against teams ranked in the NSCAA final 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 and the fact the Tar Heels had a winning percentage equal only to the fourth best in the nation.
In games against NSCAA 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 in the regular season and 5-2 in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, lost to No. 17 Virginia Tech 1-0, beat No. 19 Maryland 1-0 in the regular season, then beat the Terps 3-0 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and downed the Terps 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament third round, beat No. 22 Texas A&M 2-0 and beat No. 24 Marquette 1-0.
•A Rare Year In ACC Play: UNC's three ACC losses in 2009 equaled 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.
•Back-to-Back Losses For the First Time in Nine Years: 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.
•Carolina's Stellar Record Against League Foes: 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. UNC's winning percentage against league foes when both teams were varsity programs is .939.
•Close Losses In 2009: 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. Each of the last 24 losses UNC has suffered, all since the 1990 season, have come by a single goal.
•Carolina's Defense Clamps Down In The First Half: UNC has allowed only one first-half goal in first 24 games of the season. Florida State was the only team to score against UNC in the first half this season with that goal coming at 6:49 in the Seminoles' 3-2 double overtime win over the Tar Heels on October 22. Ten of the goals UNC has allowed this year have come in the second half and one in the second overtime period.
•UNC First Shutout String Reaches 742 Minutes: 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 did not allow 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 UNC's 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.
•Most Recent Shutout Streak Reaches Almost 800 Minutes: The Tar Heel defense had an eight-match shutout string ended against Wake Forest Forest in the NCAA quarterfinals. UNC started the shutout streak with a 3-0 win over Clemson and continued it with 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, a 4-0 win over Georgia and a 1-0 win over Maryland. UNC did not allow a goal in 798 minutes and 52 seconds of play beginning when Miami's Beverly Goebel scored at 80:11 of a match on October 25 in Coral Gables, Fla. and ended when Kaley Fountain of Wake Forest scored at 56:49 of the NCAA quarterfinal match on November 27. The last time Carolina posted eight shutouts in a row was in 1997. The last time UNC had more than eight shutouts in a row was 1989.
•Carolina Limits Opponents' Scoring Chances: UNC's defense has allowed only 40 shots in the past nine 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, Georgia took four shots on November 15, Maryland took six shots on November 21 and Wake Forest took seven shots on November 27.
•Only 14 Goals Allowed In Nearly 3,300 Minutes: Carolina's defensive unit headed up by Ashlyn Harris, Kristi Eveland, Whitney Engen and Rachel Givan as well as 2008 co-starting goalkeeper Anna Rodenbough has allowed only 14 goals over the last 3,272 minutes and 16 seconds of action dating back to last season's game against Florida State on October 30, 2008.
•25 Shutouts In 35 Chances: Dating back to a 1-0 win over Miami on November 2, 2008 at Fetzer Field, UNC has now posted shutouts in 25 of its last 35 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), Miami (once on October 25) and Wake Forest (twice on November 27).
•Hokies Halt Unbeaten Streak: 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.
•UNC Wins 39 of Past 44 ACC Regular-Season Games: 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.
•Tar Heels Had Best Season Start In Four Years: UNC started the season 10-0-1 before losing to Virginia Tech October 4. 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.
•An Unbeaten Non-Conference Season: At 7-0-1, Carolina completed its non-conference regular-season schedule without a loss for the first time since 2005. Including post-season games, UNC is 9-0-1 against non-league foes in 2009.
•Penalty Kicks Lead Tar Heels Past Eagles: 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, not once, but twice. Casey Nogueira converted the first PK against the Eagles and Ali Hawkins scored the game-winner.
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 late in the second half.
In beating Boston College twice this season, the Tar Heels totaled their three goals on two penalty kicks and an own goal.
•Hawkins Lifts Tar Heels Past UVA: 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.
•UNC is Perfect on Penalty Kicks: UNC is a perfect five-for-five on penalty kicks this year with Casey Nogueira going 2 for 2, Ali Hawkins going 2 for 2 and Meghan Klingenberg going 1 for 1. UNC has earned five penalty kicks this year overall. Three came on hand balls by opposing teams in the penalty area and the other two were earned by sophomore forward Courtney Jones after she was taken down in the penalty box by Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals and by Georgia in the NCAA Tournament second round.
•UNC's Opening-Minute Goals: 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.
•Eveland Is Finalist For Lowe's Award: 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 in 2009. The winner of the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award will be announced on College Cup weekend December 4-6.
•UNC's Top Offensive Output In Three Years: 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.
•Carolina In Season Openers: 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).
•Most Goals In a Season Opener In Four Years: 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 Explodes Offensively Versus Wolfpack: 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.
•The All-Time Record: UNC heads into its match with Notre Dame with a record of 694-36-22 overall, a winning percentage of .938.
•The All-Time Scoring Margin: The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 3,012 to 359 in 752 games since the origin of the program in 1979. That is a scoring margin of 2,653 goals.
•Nogueira 14th In Career Scoring: With 136 career points, Casey Nogueira is now 14th in Tar Heel history in career points. Meredith Florance (1997-2000) ranks 13th with 150 career points.
•Nogueira 15th On The All-Time Goals Chart: Casey Nogueira has now scored 54 goals in her career. She is 15th in career goals at UNC. Stephanie Zeh (1981-82) ranks 14th in career goals with 55.
•Average Record Per Year: UNC's average record per year in its 31 years of soccer is 22.39 wins per year, 1.16 losses per year and 0.71 ties per year.
•Tar Heels In The Close Games In 2009: UNC is 10-3 in one-goal games in 2009 and 16-2-1 in shutout games in 2009. UNC has posted 17 shutouts this year in 25 games while being shutout three times itself. The last time Carolina was shutout three times in a season was 2007.
•In The Final Polls: 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's Veteran Nature: 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. The Tar Heels have eight juniors on their roster, six sophomores and eight freshmen.
•Hermann Trophy Watch List: 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.
•Eveland, Engen and Harris Named Academic All-Americas: Three Tar Heel women's soccer players were honored this year with their selection to the ESPN The Magazine District 3 All-Academic Team and the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America squads. Senior defenders Kristi Eveland and Whitney Engen and senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris were all named first-team Academic All-District. 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.
•Thirteen Academic All-Americas In Five Years: 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 nominations 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 (Academic All-America of the Year); 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 (Academic All-America of the Year); Anna Rodenbough, second team.
•2009 - Kristi Eveland, first team; Whitney Engen, second team; Ashlyn Harris, second team.
•28 Tournament Bids In 28 Years: Carolina's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament as the winner of the 2009 ACC Tournament insured 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 in 2008 so Carolina has the distinction of being the only team to make the NCAA field in all 28 years.
•The Tar Heels In Overtime: UNC has an all-time record of 28-6-21 all-time in overtime games in its history. The 2009 included one of those rare six overtime losses, 3-2 at Florida State on October 22. Carolina 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.
UNC has won an amazing 50.9 percent of the overtime games it has played in since the start of the program while losing only 10.9 percent. The remainder have ended in ties.
•UNC Leads In WPS Roster Numbers: Carolina had 12 players compete in Women's Professional Soccer 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.
•Tar Heels Seniors Are Winningest Four-Year Class: According to research provided by CollegeSoccer360.com, the North Carolina Tar Heels' senior class is the winningest group of seniors in the nation. Heading into the NCAA semifinlas, the Tar Heels are 92-9-4 over the past four seasons, a winning percentage of .895. Notre Dame is second in both winning percentage at .886 and overall record at 91-10-4. UCLA is third with a winning percentage of .883 and an overall record of 84-9-5.
•UNC Has Best Record of Past Decade: According to research done by CollegeSoccer360.com, North Carolina has the best winning percentage and overall victory total of the past decade (2000-09). UNC has averaged 22.78 wins per season over the past decade and has an overall record of 228-17-11 since 1990. That equates to a winning percentage of .912.
•CollegeSoccer360.com's List of Winningest Senior Classes: Research provided by CollegeSoccer360.com indicates that 19 senior classes in NCAA history have won 90 or more games during their tenures. Sixteen of the 19 are North Carolina classes. Following is the complete list as provided by CS360.com:
102-3-1 (.967) - North Carolina's 1998 seniors (1995-98; NCAA champs in 1996, 1997)
102-3-2 (.963) - North Carolina's 1997 seniors (1994-97; NCAA champs in 1994, 1996, 1997) )
101-4-1 (.958) - North Carolina's 1999 seniors (1996-99; NCAA champs in 1996, 1997, 1999) )
98-2-1 (.975) - North Carolina's 1995 seniors (1992-95; NCAA champs in 1992, 1993, 1994) )
98-3-1 (.966) - North Carolina's 1996 seniors (1993-96; NCAA champs in 1993, 1994, 1996) )
97-1-1 (.985) - North Carolina's 1994 seniors (1991-94; NCAA champs in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) )
97-3-3 (.956) - North Carolina's 2006 seniors (2003-06; NCAA champs in 2003, 2006) )
97-6-1 (.938) - North Carolina's 2000 seniors (1997-2000; NCAA champs in 1997, 1999, 2000) )
94-7-0 (.931) - North Carolina's 2001 seniors (1998-2001; NCAA champs in 1999, 2000) )
94-7-4 (.914) - North Carolina's 2008 seniors (2005-08; NCAA champs in 2006, 2008) )
93-1-2 (.979) - North Carolina's 1992 seniors (1989-92; NCAA champs in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992) )
93-6-4 (.922) - North Carolina's 2003 seniors (2000-2003; NCAA champs in 2000, 2003) )
92-1-1 (.984) - North Carolina's 1993 seniors (1990-93; NCAA champs in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) )
92-4-6 (.931) - North Carolina's 2004 seniors (2001-04; NCAA champs in 2003) )
92-9-4 (.895) - North Carolina's 2009 seniors (2006-09; NCAA champs in 2006 and '08)
91-4-7 (.927) - North Carolina's 2005 seniors (2002-05; NCAA champs in 2003)
•Senior Classes That Have Played In Four College Cup Weekends: CollegeSoccer360.com has done research which shows UNC has had 19 senior classes which have reached all four College Cup weekends during their time at Carolina. UCLA is second on the list with four total classes). Senior classes that have played in four College Cup final weekends (26 classes)
• UNC (seniors in 1985 through 2003; 19 total classes)
• UCLA (seniors in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009; 4 total classes)
• Notre Dame (seniors in 1997 and 2009)
• Santa Clara's 1999 seniors
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 in 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 Tar 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, going 16-0-1. The Tar Heels have been involved in three ties in ACC Tournament play and one tie in NCAA Tournament play against conference foes.
Altogether, UNC has gone 212-10-8 all-time against fellow Atlantic Coast Conference teams. That is a winning percentage of .939. UNC's winning percentage against ACC foes is even higher than it is against all competition, which is .937.
