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The Daily Tar Heel

Taking stock of the seasons so far for every UNC fall sports team

UNCvs.Clemson-277.jpg
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is knocked down by UNC linebackers Chazz Surratt (21) and Tomon Fox (12) during the football game on Saturday, Sept. 28th, 2019 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. UNC lost to Clemson 21-20.

Heading into Fall Break without a clue of how North Carolina athletics have been doing? Fear not – here's a rundown of the seasons so far for every UNC fall sports team.

Football

Led by first-year quarterback Sam Howell, the UNC football team is sitting at 3-3 with a 2-1 mark in the ACC. The Tar Heels have recorded wins over South Carolina, Miami and Georgia Tech, and were a 2-point conversion away from an upset win over then-No. 1 Clemson on September 28.

This Saturday, North Carolina will travel to Blacksburg and take on Virginia Tech at 3:30 p.m. The Tar Heels are still very much in control of their ACC Coastal Division destiny, with home bouts against Duke and Virginia coming on October 26 and November 2, respectively.

Field hockey

The UNC field hockey team has won 35 straight games dating back to last year and is looking to complete a second straight perfect season. In 2019, the Tar Heels have recorded wins over Duke, Virginia, Louisville, Syracuse, Princeton and Iowa, all currently ranked in the top 10, while sophomore Erin Matson has a team-leading 20 goals this season. 

Senior midfielder Yentl Leemans leads the team in assists with 11, while Catherine Hayden is second on the team in points with 25.

Women's soccer

One year removed from a 1-0 loss to Florida State in the national championship, the UNC women's soccer team has ripped off a 12-1-1 start to the 2019 season, with the only blemishes coming in a September 15 loss to Arkansas, 2-0, and a scoreless tie at Duke on October 10.

Sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto leads the Tar Heels in goals with eight, while Lois Joel, who has started just nine games this year, is the team's assist leader with six.

Bridgette Andrzejewski is second on the team in points with 15; she had a goal and an assist in a September 29 win over Notre Dame, when UNC honored its legendary head coach with the dedication of Dorrance Field.

Men's soccer

As for the men's team, the Tar Heels are 7-3-2 this year with a 3-2 mark in the ACC. The season so far has been an up-and-down one; three straight wins in the month of October were bookended by a 3-2 loss to Duke on September 27 and a 4-3 loss to Syracuse on October 12.

In both games, the Tar Heels held two-goal leads and collapsed late, tempering expectations for a team that was named the preseason favorite to win the ACC in August. Despite that, UNC remains the No. 19 team in the nation according to the most recent coaches' poll.

Volleyball

After a dismal 1-7 start to the year, the UNC volleyball team has clawed its way back to a 7-9 record in the 2019 season, punctuated by four straight wins against ACC competition. Most recently, the Tar Heels upended No. 23 Florida State in five sets to move to 4-2 in conference, already matching their ACC wins from last season.

UNC's youth movement is led by redshirt first-year Lauren Harrison, who has 184 kills this season, and first-year Parker Austin, who has 165.

Golf

The North Carolina men's golf team has placed fourth or better in three of its four events so far this season, including a season-opening first-place finish at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate. Sophomore Ryan Burnett has paced the Tar Heels in three of those four events as well, and has a stroke average of 68.83 on the year.

The women's team has yet to place fifth or higher in an event so far this season, and most recently posted a sixth-place finish at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill. Jennifer Zhou led the Tar Heels in that event with a 5-under-par fifth place finish.

Cross country

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Under new head coach Chris Miltenberg, UNC cross country posted identical finishes — women's team, second place, men's team, third place — at the Elon Opener and the Cavalier Classic to begin the season. 

A step up in competition, however, saw the Tar Heels place 20th and 21st, respectively, at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on October 4. The women's team faced 10 of the top 30 teams in the nation, including five top-10 programs, while the men's team competed against 12 ranked programs.

Swimming & diving

Finally, the UNC swimming and diving team competed once thus far under new head coach Mark Gangloff, but posted wins in a dual meet against ECU on October 4. The men's team won a close one, 157-143, while the women's team handled the Pirates 170-115.

@ryantwilcox

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com