Merritt leaves Heels plugging holes in defense

When the North Carolina men’s soccer team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by George Washington last season, the entire squad was visibly upset.

But perhaps nobody took the loss as hard as senior captain Tim Merritt.

Seemingly always the one doing the screaming and the yelling, Merritt brought an intensity and leadership to the field for North Carolina that seems to be difficult to replace.

“Definitely, I think Tim Merritt was a great player and a great leader,” junior Corey Ashe said.

North Carolina not only will have to replace Merritt’s on-field leadership, but also his ability to anchor the defensive backfield while still providing an offensive threat.

Undoubtedly UNC’s strongest defender a season ago, Merritt was also fourth on the team in scoring with 10 points (three goals and four assists) giving the Tar Heels a balanced attack throughout.

Despite his absence, UNC coach Elmar Bolowich said players already are beginning to step up.

Bolowich said junior Ted Odgers will replace Merritt on the field.

“It doesn’t affect us that much, losing Tim Merritt,” Bolowich said. “We moved Ted Odgers into the center back position, and he’s that kind of leader back there, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that works out.”

The pressure will be on Odgers, as his teammates are expecting him and Michael Harrington to anchor the defense this season.

“(With) Odgers and Michael Harrington in the back, we have intelligent, fast and athletic defenders in the back this year,” Ashe said.

While Odgers and Harrington will pick up the slack for Merritt on the field, North Carolina will look to goalkeeper Ford Williams to provide the relatively inexperienced team with the leadership it desperately needs.

“Ford Williams is absolutely a leader,” Bolowich said. “He had a few struggles this preseason, but he’s ready to go. And being a team captain by the vote of his peers shows what they think of him.”

After losing Merritt to MLS along with his former teammates Jamie Watson and Marcus Storey, UNC loses three of its top four scorers, with only Ashe suiting up for the 2005 campaign.

With team chemistry being one of UNC’s major concerns last season, the absence of Watson and Storey may actually benefit the team.

“I don’t think everyone was on the same page last year, but this year everyone is on the same page,” Ashe said. “The biggest thing is team chemistry. I think last year we read our own press, we were preseason ranked No. 3, we had a top-five recruiting class.

“Guys forgot what they had to do. Negativity comes, we were struggling for answers, and I think as a result the team chemistry was off.”

Like many seasons in recent memory, UNC starts the campaign as a legitimate national title contender.

Those lofty dreams have no chance of being realized unless they are able to replace Tim Merritt, both on and off the field.

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.