M. Soccer: Forward play will be key for Tar Heels

Before the preseason No. 1 ranking to start the 2009 season, before the close loss to Maryland in the national championship game and before the magical run to the Final Four, there was Duke.

Back in 2008, North Carolina was teetering between being a good team — evident from the team’s quick start to the season — and a team that couldn’t beat top competition, evident from the team’s two losses to ranked opponents in Virginia and Boston College.

But when the Tar Heels traveled to Durham to play the then-No. 24 Blue Devils, something changed. UNC left 90 minutes later with a 2-0 win and, perhaps, a whole new outlook for the season.

“That was actually a game that was a little bit of a turning point last year,” coach Elmar Bolowich said. “It gave us the belief that we could do some great stuff. We were clicking on all cylinders. There was not a weak link on the field.”

Still, as North Carolina gets ready to play Duke again tonight, things appear quite different from the last go-around between the pair.

For one, the Blue Devils are already more highly regarded now than in 2008. Duke is ranked No. 11 and boasts a stellar defense that has allowed just one goal on the season.

And although the Tar Heels scored on just their second shot of the game in 2008, UNC may find more difficulty this year.

“(Coach is) telling us not to take them lightly,” midfielder Cameron Brown said. “He’s emphasized that it’s a top-ACC game. He’s emphasizing how much better they are and how big a game this is.”

What’s more, UNC no longer employs the services of Brian Shriver — he of the multiple-goal game against Duke last October. Shriver was the team’s leading scorer in 2008, and since then, North Carolina has struggled to find a steady replacement for him.

Granted, the season is just four games underway, but Bolowich already reiterated during the exhibitions and during the first few games that he wanted more out of his forwards. Although such words could have been more of a wake-up call to his younger strikers, whatever the reasoning, it seems to have worked.

Though the statistic sheet may not show it — the team’s three main forwards accounted for one goal and two assists in the past two games — the trio has supplied an immense amount of pressure and scoring chances.

“(The forward play is) getting better, I must say,” Bolowich said. “When you see the work rate that a Billy Schuler puts in, Enzo Martinez, Alex Dixon, how fast he is running down balls and putting pressure on the opposing defender. That’s where it really starts. I’m actually pretty pleased where we are at this point.”


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