Tar Heels earn 6th shutout in 2004

North Carolina men's soccer forward Marcus Storey's artful, bending shot over the outstretched hands of the William & Mary goalkeeper put the Tar Heels ahead for good Wednesday.

It also put Storey in the record books.

The Tar Heels would go on to take the game 2-0 against the Tribe, and Storey now is tied for eighth on UNC's all-time scoring list with 29 goals. He shares the distinction with Donald Cogsville, who played from 1984-88.

The win is the Tar Heels' fifth straight. It marks their sixth shutout of the season and the second consecutive one for goalkeeper Ford Williams.

Storey's goal came at an opportune moment in what the Tar Heels (8-6-2) called their biggest game of the year.

Watson said the win gave UNC a little breathing room in regards to an NCAA selection as it heads into its final two games of the regular season. An NCAA bid is hard to attain without at least a .500 record.

William & Mary (9-4-3) seemed content to stay behind the ball, playing defensively throughout most of the first half. Storey's goal broke the defense down and changed the complexion of the game.

As the game lulled around midfield, UNC's Jamie Watson beat the Tribe defense when he chipped the ball ahead to a streaking Storey.

Storey took advantage of the game's first shot by putting the ball into the upper right corner a little more than 25 minutes into the contest. It was his sixth goal of the year.

Watson added to the lead when he was pulled down and fouled in the box by Tribe defenders with about nine minutes left in the first half.

Watson then put home his fifth goal of the year when he easily slid the penalty shot past Tribe goalkeeper Kris Rake, who dove the wrong way on the kick.

UNC coach Elmar Bolowich said the Tar Heels were able to dictate the rest of the match by getting the first goal.

Bolowich said the Tar Heels play one of the toughest schedules in the country, something he hopes will help UNC when 48 teams are selected for the NCAA Tournament.

Watson said it would have been difficult to attain an NCAA bid without the victory. The Tribe's game plan was to stay back.

"They weren't interested in playing with us," he said. Watson added that while the Tribe could consider a tie against UNC a victory, that outcome was not a possibility for the Tar Heels.

UNC has two remaining regular season games against Wake Forest and Clemson - key conference matchups as UNC looks forward to the ACC Tournament that begins Nov. 10.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.