Tar Heels claim 3rd straight win

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The North Carolina men's soccer team jumped out to an early lead and defeated Virginia Tech 2-1 on Wednesday.

The Hokies staged a late rally after falling behind 2-0 but came up short, falling to 7-7 on the season and 1-3 in the ACC.

UNC sophomore Jamie Watson got UNC (6-6-2, 2-2-0) on the board in the 43rd minute with a shot from the top of the box.

Watson found himself facing four Va. Tech defenders in front of him but fired off the shot and found a seam, beating Hokie goalie Chase Harrison. UNC entered halftime clinging to its one-goal advantage.

The Tar Heels struck again at the 53:26 mark when senior defender Ray Fumo beat Harrison for UNC's second goal. Fumo, in a crowd from about 10 yards out, fired the shot and found the back of the net through Virginia Tech's defense.

The score remained 2-0 until the 85th minute when Va. Tech pushed forward and Eric Vickers scored. Vickers beat UNC goalie Ford Williams for the score. The goal was Vickers' second of the season.

The Hokies had other opportunities, but they could not break UNC's packed-in defense.

Most of Va. Tech's chances came in the waning moments of the game, as Williams was barely tested in the first 80 minutes and registered just two saves. Harrison collected four saves, and both teams took 12 shots.

The game proved physical, and three Hokies were issued yellow cards in the game - Brent Dillie in the 13th minute, Chad Steuck in the 38th minute and Ken Jonmaire in the 64th minute were issued the warnings.

Anglers win Fall World Series

Sophomore hurlers Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller allowed just one run and struck out 14 batters in a combined 10 2-3 innings, and the Anglers rallied for a 7-2 win over the BoSox in a series-clinching game five of the annual intrasquad Carolina Fall World Series on Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium.

Miller, who earned the win for the Anglers, tossed 5 2-3 innings, surrendering just one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out eight.

Bard, meanwhile, went five innings and allowed no runs, one hit and four walks while striking out five for the BoSox.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, the Anglers grabbed a 3-1 lead thanks to a three-run, bases-loaded double from freshman catcher Benji Johnson off reliever Rob Wooten.

BoSox centerfielder Blair Waggett nearly made a diving catch on Johnson's hit to left center, but the ball trickled out of his glove allowing all three runs to score.

Sophomore Craig Corrado pushed the Angler lead to 4-1 with an RBI infield single in the seventh. The Anglers added two more runs on a passed ball and a wild pitch in the eighth.

Junior Jonathan Hovis was solid in relief of Miller, allowing just one hit and striking out two in 2 1-3 innings for the Anglers.

The Tar Heels, who were 43-21 and reached their third consecutive NCAA Regional last season, open the 2005 season February 16 against Appalachian State