No. 3 UNC men's soccer team starts ACC play tonight against Pitt

The No. 3 North Carolina men’s soccer team doesn’t have too many issues to sort out before it starts the ACC schedule against Pittsburgh tonight.

They have experience. They have depth. They have talent.

So, this week, they’ve just been focusing on fine-tuning the little things.

“A few really minor details that we’re working on cleaning up,” said Coach Carlos Somoano after Wednesday’s practice. “Our defensive pressing is where we’re still trying to clean up a few really minor details.”

“Ultimately, we need to start doing a little bit better job in front of goal because we’re creating some good chances, and we’re not sharp enough,” he said. “But I know that to keep getting those chances, we’ve got to work on a few things.”

While the Tar Heels do return experienced players on the back line and in goal, a season-ending ACL injury to senior defender Jordan McCrary has exposed cracks in a unit that allowed just 13 goals last season.

In addition to being a starter on the 2011 national championship team, McCrary brings an aggressive approach to the defensive unit, using his speed and creativity to push forward and support the offense.

“He was going to be a senior, and he knows his role extremely well,” Somoano said. “So yeah, we do have new guys in there, and you can probably attribute some of the early-season miscues to just getting some new guys on the field and figuring out who’s going to do what and who’s good at what.”

One of those players is sophomore Colton Storm, who started nine games in 2013 and flashes some of the same skills that McCrary became known for.

“That’s one of his assets,” Somoano said. “That’s one of the things that he brings to the table at that position. He was very good at it last year, and the expectation was that we would build off that this year with him.”

In addition to Storm, Somoanao will look to C.J. Odenigwe, Nick Williams and David October to fill out a back line anchored by Jonathan Campbell and 2013 ACC Defender of the Year Boyd Okwuonu.

“None of them are 90-minutes fit yet,” Somoano said. “But as we get close to 90-minutes fit ? and I think we’re pretty close to that ? we need to kind of pick two (players) and go with them so we can start establishing some kind of rhythm of play.”

While his entire team isn’t as fit as he would like, Somoano is pleased with the progress the Tar Heels have seen in the past two weeks.

“We’re at a different level right now than we were two weeks ago, so that’s all I can ask,” he said.

“I feel positive about it. You can’t get fit in a week, you can’t get fit in a day, so we’re real cautious about pushing them just enough but not trying to overdo it, otherwise you’ll have more injuries.”

Until the defense is set and the fitness is at a high enough level, UNC will rely on its deep attacking core ? headlined by fifth-year senior Andy Craven, who was named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Monday.

“Right now, he does everything,” Somoano said. “I mean, he’s awesome. He holds balls up for us, he gets in behind (the defense), he creates chances and he finishes chances.”

“He’s playing as good as anybody in the country at that position right now,” he said.

After missing the 2013 season due to injury, Craven is now leading the team with three goals.

“It feels fantastic,” Craven said of being back on the field. “I feel healthy and good to go. Our whole attacking line and our midfield ... we’re moving forward and trying to attack a lot.

But as Pitt approaches, Craven and sophomore midfielder Omar Holness said that the team kept it simple in practice and focused on what they could do to get better — not making a specific game plan for the Panthers.

“The emphasis mainly is on getting better every day,” Holness said. “Improving on what we may have considered mistakes in a previous game. But mainly, just improving and going at it — competing.”

For Craven, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is.

“We prepare for every game the same way,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play. We’re just putting the target on their back.”

sports@dailytarheel.com