A record breaking shutout for Goodwin

By shutting out Virginia 1-0 on Friday night at Fetzer Field, North Carolina senior goalkeeper Scott Goodwin recorded his 29th career shutout, breaking Michael Ueltschey’s 11-year-old school record.

But coach Carlos Somoano refused to reduce Goodwin’s impact on the North Carolina men’s soccer team to a record.

“Scott is an outstanding student athlete in every aspect,” Somoano said. “He means a lot more to this program than shutout records, so it’s hard for me to sum that all up.”

But Goodwin’s legacy with the Tar Heels is far from over — No. 8 UNC has the talent to challenge for a second straight national title.

And Goodwin’s accomplishments as a Tar Heel are already plentiful.
The team captain has started every match for the Tar Heels since 2010.

In 2011, he became the first goalkeeper in UNC history to allow less than 0.70 goals per game in back-to-back seasons.

Goodwin has proven to be a big-game goalie. He allowed just two goals in six games of ACC tournament play the last two seasons and shut out UNC-Charlotte in last year’s NCAA final to clinch UNC’s second national championship in program history.

Redshirt senior captain Jordan Gafa said the team knew Goodwin was capable of breaking the record.

“Scotty is the backbone of this team,” Gafa said. “He’s another guy who really helps me out leading. We get a feed off each other, helping out the younger guys as two upperclassmen.”

Goodwin was glad to notch the record, but he was more excited that the Tar Heels got back into the win column after a loss against James Madison and a draw with Wake Forest.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “It’s a cool way to leave a legacy for me, but more so than that I’m just excited we got a shutout tonight.”

Goodwin was quick to deflect praise to the defense.

“The record — I got the credit for that, but it’s really not even me,” Goodwin said. “If you look at most of the games we play, I only have a few saves. It’s defenders in front of me doing an absolutely great job, and they have for the last few years.“

UNC’s defense provided that support Friday, blocking two shots in front of the goal, including one in the 33rd minute when Mikey Lopez deflected a shot to preserve the clean sheet.

“We call ourselves a family,” Goodwin said. “Part of that is if I have a bobble or if I’m out of position a little bit, they’re always going to have my back.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.