UNC will host first 2 rounds

The top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team has received an at-large bid to the 2004 NCAA Field Hockey Championship and will host first and second round games this weekend at Henry Stadium.

The Tar Heels (20-1) are the No. 1 seed in the 16-team field. They'll face Richmond in a first-round game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

In the other first-round game at UNC, Duke will play Old Dominion at 2 p.m. Saturday.

"We're thrilled to be playing in the tournament, and we're excited to host and be the top seed," said UNC coach Karen Shelton. "We focus on playing our best field hockey at the end of the season, and we feel like our best is yet to come."

All four teams in the Chapel Hill field are currently ranked in the nation's top 12. In the season's final coaches' poll, released Tuesday, UNC moved up to the top spot from No. 2 after winning the ACC Tournament crown with a 3-1 victory against Maryland on Sunday.

Duke (15-4) is ranked No. 4, Richmond (18-2) is No. 10 and Old Dominion (13-7) is No. 12.

UNC and Richmond have faced off six times with the Tar Heels winning all six.

The most recent meeting came in 2001, when UNC won 8-0 in Chapel Hill. The two have never met in NCAA play.

"We're looking forward to playing the Spiders after not having faced them for a couple of years," Shelton said.

North Carolina is more familiar with the other two teams playing in Chapel Hill. UNC has faced Old Dominion twice this year, winning 1-0 in Chapel Hill on Sept. 18 and 4-1 in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 30.

The Tar Heels beat ACC rival Duke 2-1 in Durham on Sept. 25.

Storey earns All-ACC honor

GREENSBORO - North Carolina senior forward Marcus Storey earned first-team All-ACC men's soccer accolades for the second straight season to highlight five Tar Heels honored by the league office Tuesday.

Senior defender Tim Merritt and sophomore midfielder/forward Corey Ashe were named to the second team, while rookie defenders Andre Sherard and Adam Sloustcher were selected to the All-ACC Freshmen Team.

Storey, who garnered all-conference accolades for the first time in his career a year ago, is the Tar Heels' leading scorer for the second consecutive season.

He has 18 points on the year on six goals and six assists. A native of Missouri City, Texas, Storey was the 2001 ACC Freshman of the Year and helped the Tar Heels to their first national title that season.

-From Wire Reports