Men’s soccer grabs No. 1 NCAA tournament seed

Just like each of the other 47 teams named to the 2011 NCAA men’s soccer tournament field Monday, North Carolina wants to take home the mahogany and gold hardware come Dec. 11.

But the Tar Heels are the only team with the advantage of the No. 1 overall seed.

UNC, which won its first and only men’s soccer national championship in 2001, will find out who its first-round opponent will be Thursday night after Coastal Carolina and Elon face off to determine who will make the trip to Chapel Hill.

“Everyone on our team knows we need to focus now on Sunday and whoever we play,” senior captain Kirk Urso said. “We need to take care of business because we want to be number one in the end — not right now.”

The other three teams with home field advantage throughout the playoffs are an intriguing bunch.

Boston College, which UNC beat 3-1 in the ACC tournament final Sunday, also earned a top-four seed. The selection makes a huge statement about the strength of the conference, since the Eagles were the No. 7 seed in last weekend’s ACC tournament.

Urso believes that the strength of the ACC is one of the best arguments for why the Tar Heels deserved the top seed in the NCAA tournament.

“The ACC is a tough conference,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of tough opponents this year and we’ve had a really good record … Also winning the regular season, I think that’s one of the toughest things to do in this country.”

Connecticut and Creighton also received top-four seeds, and the Jays have a face with which many at UNC are quite familiar.

Elmar Bolowich, who coached at UNC for 22 years and helped the Tar Heels earn their first national title, is in his first year as head coach at Creighton.

But seeing their old leader on the other side of the field isn’t going to distract the Tar Heels from their No. 1 goal.

“Obviously I know Elmar and it’s good to hear that they’re doing well,” Urso said. “But like I said before, we’re just focused on Sunday … We’ll keep going and if we cross paths, that’ll be exciting.”

When Coastal Carolina plays Elon on Thursday, the Chanticleers will showcase the nation’s most prolific offense, having scored 60 goals this season. UNC coach Carlos Somoano knows Elon can be dangerous, too.

“These are two very good teams,” Somoano said. “Coastal is exceptional and Elon … They have been a little bit unlucky in getting results, but it’s no surprise to me that they got in the tournament.”

Being the top seed comes with the privilege of playing each game until the national semifinals at home. This year’s College Cup, where UNC could make its fourth straight appearance, will be Dec. 9 and 11 in Hoover, Ala.

“It’s awesome anytime you’re a No. 1 seed. It means home field advantage,” Urso said. “That was important for us.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.