UNC finally lives up to preseason hype

They've been saying it all year.

Players on the North Carolina men's soccer team have insisted all season that they have more talent than their 7-6-2 record shows.

Many of them maintained that UNC's early-season losses and lackluster play would eventually translate into inspired wins and better performances.

They proved themselves right with a 2-0 win Sunday against N.C. State .

The win increased UNC's win streak to four games, and it put UNC above the .500 win percentage mark. The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 13-2 in that time period, getting a win against then-No. 7 South Carolina on Oct. 16.

For many of the Tar Heels, this is how it should have been out of the starting block.

But the Tar Heels - who were picked by the ACC's coaches to win the conference title at the beginning of the season - lost early games to opponents like Florida International and Virginia Commonwealth, both unranked teams.

But a team that defender Tim Merritt once criticized as lacking heart looked like a different one on the field Sunday.

Coach Elmar Bolowich attributes the turnaround to maturity.

He said Sunday that despite getting "severely punished" at the beginning of the season, the Tar Heels have gained valuable leadership on the field - a glaring intangible that he said the team lacked at the beginning of the season.

"The happiest I can be is just seeing individuals rise to the occasion," Bolowich said.

He specifically pointed to the play of goalkeeper Ford Williams. Williams had several acrobatic saves Sunday that prevented the Tar Heels from falling behind early in the contest. His 18 saves throughout the last six matches have helped propel UNC to its winning streak.

But Williams isn't the only Tar Heel feeling more comfortable in his role.

Merritt, the co-captain defender, scored the game's first goal Sunday. It marked his third goal of the year and is just one example of the Tar Heels playing comfortably in their roles - something Merritt and Bolowich both said was a problem earlier in the season.

Defender Ray Fumo said that when the Tar Heels are on the field, they feel - for the first time - like they're all on the same team.

"I think our roles are defined now," Fumo said. "Nobody's worried about what they need to do individually. We are determined to get the wins."

And that's one of the few times anybody on the Tar Heels has said that.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.