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(11/19/07 5:00am)
Rashanda McCants entered Sunday's game against Syracuse with a previous career high of 18 points.
She lit up the Orange defense for 20 points on 5-10 shooting, including four three-pointers - in the first half.
The junior added seven more in the second period and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds for her first double-double.
"It's her brother with hair," senior forward Erlana Larkins said. "She can still shoot; don't be surprised. We knew Rashanda had game, but we were just waiting on her to have the confidence in her game to just play."
Larkins added 15 points and eight rebounds, and all told five Tar Heels were in double figures in No. 7 UNC's 97-72 win.
But the Tar Heels (5-0) were missing a key presence. Senior point guard Alex Miller was on crutches after injuring her knee on Friday during an uncontested layup in UNC's 92-63 win against Coppin State. The injury could keep her sidelined for the remainder of the season.
"It changes things a lot," Larkins said of Miller's absence. "With Alex having experience - she's been here three years and we just miss her leadership presence as far as on the court. She was very vocal."
In her place, two freshmen guards -Cetera DeGraffenreid and Italee Lucas - stepped in to run the office. And coach Sylvia Hatchell said that nothing about that offense will change.
"Just more minutes (for the freshmen), more film work, more shooting sessions because they're going to be out there more," Hatchell said.
UNC continued to get contributions from two key presences inside. Senior center LaToya Pringle scored 11 points and continued her pursuit of the career shots blocked record, as she swatted eight Syracuse shots. Sophomore Jessica Breland also added 10 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes.
"Jessica can shoot from the outside too - she's got great touch," Hatchell said. "And her numbers, you look at every game we've played, she's shot over 50 percent. And rebounding, she's just so wiry."
But the night still belonged to McCants, whose increased scoring this year has paced the Tar Heels. And Hatchell said the increase is because of more assertive play.
"As practice goes on, I'm working on more and more things, being more aggressive," McCants said. "And I like feeding the ball to Erlana. And she should have double-doubles, triple-doubles in assists because she's the best passer I've ever seen. So I just kind of work off of her."
Larkins' passing showcased her passing against Syracuse (1-1), who sent double and triple teams her way almost every time she touched the ball. Larkins responded with five dimes.
"It's great to see that we played like this coming off of losing Alex," Larkins said. "I just think it gave our team a little bit more confidence."
And she added that Miller's two young replacements stepped in nicely in the contest.
"We just have to move on and, as we call them, the kiddies, they did a great job today."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/19/07 5:00am)
CARY - With just over 30 seconds left in overtime, the door to the NCAA Tournament remained open for the North Carolina men's soccer team. It needed only to score or to keep battling to a scoreless tie, and its record would be .500 or better - good enough to qualify.
But with one quick strike, No. 1 Wake Forest slammed that door shut, as Marcus Tracy got in behind the UNC backline and received a through ball. He touched it past freshman goalkeeper Tyler Deric and easily netted the game winner.
Wake Forest was clearly the better soccer team in the ACC semifinal - its precision passing and flawless spacing showed that. But the Tar Heels needed it more, and their inspired play proved that even a .500 team is dangerous with its back against the wall.
"From the start, we knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy, play with a lot of passion, because they had a lot riding on this game," Tracy said. "So we just tried to sustain their pressure for 90 minutes, just enforce our game on them. Just to be able to stick it in the back of the net felt really good after 100 minutes of play."
And just like that, the Demon Deacons (17-1-2) punched a ticket to the ACC Championship game, while the Tar Heels (7-8-5) were forced to watch from home. The loss marked UNC's first losing season since 1997 and the first time it missed out on the postseason since 1998.
"I think we earned a lot of respect today from everybody," UNC coach Elmar Bolowich said. "We played our hearts out, and that's what you want your players to do. I feel bad that we didn't advance. I feel bad that we didn't make the playoffs this year, but still we did not give up."
The sixth-seeded Tar Heels came out firing on all cylinders in the first half. They launched six shots and earned five corners, and their pressure defense held Wake Forest to just three shots. An early lead seemed imminent.
And it nearly happened in the 32nd minute, as junior Brian Shriver found himself in the box, one-on-one with the keeper. He took an extra touch and tried to shoot near-post, but a sliding Brian Edwards made the save.
This was to be a common theme. The All-ACC first-team keeper made several diving and sprawling saves and helped preserve the tie score entering halftime.
"In the first half, I think Carolina threw everything at us but the kitchen sink," Wake Forest coach Jay Vidovich said. "And maybe that was coming next. We were maybe saved by the whistle there."
The second half was more evenly matched, as the Demon Deacons settled into their possession-style play and evened the final shot tally at nine. Both teams had close opportunities, but every attack was to no avail. Both Edwards and Deric made every save necessary in regulation.
Deric, though, played with an aggressive mentality and was quick to come off his line. On Tracy's sudden-victory goal in overtime, he was caught a little too far out.
"It was a heck of a game - it was two teams just flat-out battling it out, laying everything on the line, and neither team wanted to surrender," Bolowich said. "And it came down to that one play, and it's either going to be you making it or the other guys making it. And tonight it was them, and that's how they advanced. And that's soccer."
The loss marks not only the end of the line for UNC's season, but also the end of an illustrious career for three-time All-ACC selection Andre Sherard. The defender plans to try his luck in the professional game.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/15/07 5:00am)
CARY - For the last few minutes of Wednesday's ACC tournament quarterfinals, Duke dialed up the pressure by sending extra men forward. What followed was a series of scoring chances, corner kicks and set plays that left the fans in Cary holding their breaths.
But like it had up to that point, North Carolina's defensive unit had an answer.
Shots were deflected, tackles were made, clears were set loose and a 1-0 lead was preserved to finish off the upset.
"It's the best 90 minutes we've played," senior captain Andre Sherard said.
While the game was not flawless - UNC allowed Duke to fire six shots and four corners - it was close, as only one attempted shot was put on frame and a host of others careened the other way off of a Tar Heel.
And UNC thrived off of the minor imperfections in its performance, backing each other up to preserve their seventh shutout of the year.
"It was outstanding," coach Elmar Bolowich said. "You could see that if one guy was outplayed, the next guy was there to step in."
Sherard has been the mainstay of the back line - the rock in the center that has held steady amid a rotating unit that seems to have found its identity at last.
The Tar Heels began the year with sophomores Eddie Ababio and Zach Loyd as the two outside backs and redshirt freshman David Rodriguez joining the three-time All-ACC selection Sherard in the center. But since, Ababio and Loyd have moved forward to attack and Rodriguez has seen declining minutes.
Emerging in their wakes have been junior transfer Ryan Adeleye in the center and junior Jordan Graye and senior Cameron Lewis on the flanks.
The versatile Graye has seen time at positions other than outside defender and has made his minutes count.
"Jordan was training well, and he got some minutes already during the course of the season in different spots. He's a total player - he's been middle, front middle, back.
"He hasn't played goalie yet," he joked.
And the dominant play of these back four might warrant them some more crucial playing time as the Tar Heels fight for their postseason life.
"It's just a great reinforcement of our hard work," Adeleye said. "It's just nice to see the results of the work."
With another must-win game approaching Friday against Wake Forest, the sixth-seeded Tar Heels will need to come up with a repeat performance. And on a team that struggles to find the back of the net, these defenders might be the key.
"It's just a lot of heart - the defensive effort," Adeleye said. "Defense from the forwards and the midfielders, and the defenders and the goalie, just a lot of heart. And that's what you can count on with Carolina."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@email.unc.edu.
(11/12/07 5:00am)
As the North Carolina women's basketball team entered the locker room with a 43-42 halftime lead Sunday, coach Sylvia Hatchell was less than pleased with her team's effort, to put it lightly.
And she let them hear it.
"She told us to get up on the passers, to get in the passing lane because she thought we were backing off a little, and that's not Carolina basketball," senior Erlana Larkins said.
"So she really let us know how badly we were playing and how not up-to-par we were playing, so I think that's what got us going in the second half."
The No. 8 Tar Heels would respond, as they held No. 12 Arizona State to just 18 points in the second half en route to a 75-60 win in the first game of the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, hosted in the Smith Center.
"I think we just buckled down and dug deep within ourselves because we know we're a better defensive team than that," junior Rashanda McCants said.
McCants scored a career-high 18 points, and sophomore Jessica Breland added 16 and 12 rebounds as UNC (2-0) passed its first real test of the year.
It was the Tar Heels' ability to get the ball to their star that allowed them to pull away. In the first half, the young backcourt struggled to find Larkins in the post, and it frustrated the forward.
"Arizona State did a great job, and I was expecting that," she said. "But I just thought there were times when I was open, even if I were just to pass the ball, and they weren't getting it in there."
That inspired the second half of Hatchell's halftime rant.
"I said, 'Get the ball to Erlana' because she was open a lot, and they just weren't looking for her," Hatchell said.
Again, UNC responded in the second half and found Larkins for 12 of her team-high 20 points, including a burst for six in a row to give UNC a 13-point lead late in the game.
That all came after the season opener Friday night, in which UNC whipped N.C. Central to the tune of a 109-32 drubbing. The 77-point margin of victory was good for a new UNC record.
In the two victories, UNC's pressure defense and breakneck pace in the transition game were the catalysts. UNC forced 30 turnovers against Central, including 27 steals. And Sunday, the Tar Heels hassled ASU (0-1) into 29 turnovers and converted them for 21 points. UNC also had 10 blocks in the game, including five from Breland and four from senior center LaToya Pringle.
"Our big thing is forcing turnovers and making them uncomfortable, and I think we did that," McCants said.
"We're trying to make them go fast, and on offense we're going faster, and it kind of tires you out real fast, and I think that's to our advantage."
Much of the speed that the Tar Heels possess is contained within a very young backcourt that features freshmen Cetera DeGraffenreid and Italee Lucas. The two showed flashes of potential but struggled to find a rhythm.
"They made a lot of defensive mistakes, but they're going to get a lot better, especially defensively," Hatchell said. "At times we were a little out of sync, but I told them, I said, 'Don't slow down.'
"We're going to make those corrections going 100 miles per hour."
But with an unforgiving out-of-conference schedule quickly approaching, Larkins recognized the urgent need for these corrections.
"Hopefully sooner than later," she said. "Because as it comes tournament time and ACC time, Tennessee, UConn, all those mistakes are going to cost us."
The Tar Heels will be in action again Tuesday night in Carmichael Auditorium when they host Elon.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/29/07 4:00am)
With three games remaining on the schedule and densely packed conference standings, the North Carolina men's soccer team entered Sunday's ACC showdown with Clemson knowing it was a make-or-break contest.
And the Tar Heels responded, defeating the Tigers 3-2 in the second game of a three-game homestand at Fetzer Field. With the win, UNC took over fifth place in the conference.
"You win this game, you're in the middle of the ACC instead of the bottom of the ACC, so there was a lot on the line," coach Elmar Bolowich said. "And our guys held strong, so despite the fact that we couldn't find our stride, we still won the game."
The Tar Heels (6-4-5, 3-3-0 ACC) jumped onto the scoreboard early after sophomore forward Bill Dworsky scored off of a Michael Callahan cross.
But Clemson (6-9-1, 1-6-0) would answer, and they didn't waste any time doing so.
Less than a minute after Dworsky's goal, a free kick from the Tigers' Mark Buchholz snuck over the UNC wall and past an immobile Tyler Deric to tie the game.
"That's definitely not the way you want to turn around after a goal, but we tried to come back after that, and we eventually got one again." Dworsky said.
UNC and Clemson traded goals once more before Dworsky went back to work. Early in the second half, Callahan sent a bending ball into the box from about 25 yards out. A streaking Dworsky deftly flicked a header over his shoulder and into the net for the eventual game-winner.
"I was just causing havoc between the goalkeeper and the defender, and the ball ended up in the goal," Dworsky said of his efforts.
Bolowich commended the play of Dworsky.
"He's a good go-to guy in terms of being somebody to hold the ball when we are under pressure, and we have to play long," he said.
Sunday's three-goal output, following Tuesday's four-goal burst against High Point, was a sign of life from an oft-dormant offense.
"Three goals in a game, that's definitely a good number," Dworsky said. "We were scoring zero and one a lot at the beginning of the season, which we wanted to get away from."
He also pointed out that the Tar Heels aren't picky about who contributes goals, be it forwards, midfielders or even the keeper.
"As long as we're getting them from somewhere, Tyler could be scoring goals, and that would be fine with me," Dworsky said
While goalie Deric was unable to find the scoring column, sophomore Zach Loyd chipped in on a penalty kick late in the first half for UNC's second goal after drawing a foul in the box.
While the win wasn't a dominant one, and the Tar Heels struggled to be in sync at times, they still got the job done.
"This one we had to grind out a little bit because we just had a hard time finding our rhythm in this game," Bolowich said. "And when you have those games - and you do have them once in a while - you need to find ways to win."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/26/07 4:00am)
It's almost hard to believe they are the same person.
One Hilee Taylor - the one that exists during the week - is reserved, soft-spoken and modest. He wears a gold cross necklace and a light-hearted grin, and if it weren't for his 6-3, 245-pound frame, he'd seem like the unlikeliest candidate for theatrics.
The other Hilee Taylor, the one that steps onto the turf every Saturday, is anything but polite -at least to opposing quarterbacks. This Hilee Taylor will bull-rush a 300-pound offensive lineman, smother an unsuspecting passer, and then add in a post-sack dance to fire up the thousands of onlookers.
"I guess from being quiet all week I just kind of hold it in and it's ready to come out by Saturday," the senior defensive end said. "All the things go during the week, you're just excited when Saturday comes out."
This excitement has led to positive results for Taylor and North Carolina. His seven sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles are all team-high numbers for the Tar Heels.
And his stats shine when compared to college football beyond UNC. His one sack per game average is good for ninth in the nation, and 1.5 tackles for a loss per game ranks him 13th.
It is likely these numbers that have begun to draw a national spotlight to the pass rush specialist. Last week, he was named as a candidate on the midseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award.
But the mid-week Taylor, in typical fashion, refused to flaunt his individual accomplishments.
"It's an honor to be there, but the season's not over yet," he said. "I'm going to try to pick it up the next five games and try to get us to a bowl game and get these next five wins."
Rather than claiming the credit for himself, Taylor deflected the praise to "my fellow linemen, the whole defense and the playcalling."
"Sometimes the coverage helps you out and sometimes your fellow defensive linemen," he said. "They either single-block you or they double team - sometimes I get the single, one-on-one blocking, and that's what I like."
But even if Taylor, himself, refuses, there are plenty willing to heap the praise on the Laurinburg native. Just ask head coach Butch Davis.
"I think Hilee Taylor has played extraordinarily well," Davis said. "Obviously the seven sacks, but the hustle, the effort, the pressure on the quarterback - he's an explosive kid."
Or ask defensive line coach John Blake.
"He's very fast, very quick, very determined," Blake said. "He works hard on his technique and studies game film. He's really a student of the game, and he goes 100 miles per hour."
And what do the coaches have to say about the off-the-field Taylor?
"We love his leadership, and his attitude is off the hook," Davis said, "I mean he has always got a positive attitude and he's upbeat, and he works very hard."
Perhaps the starting point for Taylor's success is that he meticulously modeled his pass rushing skills after his two football idols - former UNC sack-specialist Lawrence Taylor and current Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor. But perhaps more important than studying their game, Taylor has always tried to imitate their passion. This is how the Hilee Taylor that fans see on Saturday was born.
"Both of them play with a high intensity," he said. "Jason Taylor has a great takeoff, Lawrence Taylor had a great takeoff, and I try to match their intensity.
"My standards obviously are set real high, trying to be like those two guys. I have a long way to go."
Taylor's evolution has continued this year, as he has been asked to step into the role of leader. This has required the mid-week Taylor to stray from his reserved nature and get loud every now and then.
"I think I'm getting better at it," he said of the transition. "In previous years I never would have been as verbal as I'm being this year. I'm trying to be a little bit more vocal."
One beneficiary of Taylor's new leadership skills has been freshman defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who said Taylor has taught him to persevere. Austin ranks second on the team with 3.5 sacks this season.
"Going out there and giving your all, working hard," Austin said of Taylor's lessons.
"His actions speak louder than words."
Blake has also seen this leadership style develop.
"He's a very professional young man," Blake said. "He works hard, leads by example. I really think he's going to be successful."
Fellow senior Kentwan Balmer has also helped anchor the defensive line, and he and Taylor have developed a strong bond, which shows on the turf.
"That plays a major part on the field because I know I can trust him without a shadow of a doubt. . And I think if you build that trust factor as a team, it's amazing. I think this is the most I ever told my teammates that I love them."
Taylor, Balmer and the rest of the North Carolina defense will be tested this weekend against a Wake Forest offense that hasn't allowed the big defensive plays Taylor has a knack for creating. The Deacons have allowed just seven sacks all year - the same number that Taylor has amassed by himself.
"They have a disciplined team - they like to get the ball out fast," he said. "But I think our secondary is up for the challenge. They're going to be able to cover well and allow the D-line to get pressure on, to get in and hit them a few times."
On a more long-term basis, Taylor's dual persona will likely continue, just with a slight modification. Davis predicted that next year the Saturday Hilee Taylor might need to wait an extra day before being unleashed on an NFL passer.
"I really believe with all my heart, I think he'll definitely play on Sundays," Davis said. "I think that there's going to be a lot of teams that are going to be fascinated with what he can do."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/17/07 4:00am)
Like the rest of the student body, the North Carolina football team has this weekend off from competition to rest up over fall break.
And if there was ever a perfect time to have a bye week, it is now for the Tar Heels, who are coming off a deadly stretch of their schedule.
In the last five weeks, UNC has played against teams with a combined 28-6 record, three of which - South Florida, Virginia Tech and South Carolina - were ranked in the Top 25.
"I think it's probably the most difficult schedule in the history of Carolina," coach Butch Davis said.
And while UNC lost four of those five, their margin of defeat was a touchdown or less in three of them.
"We may be closer than we think, but yet we're still not over the hump," Davis said. "There's things that we have done that we've missed some opportunities. We've done some things that have put us in the position to win games, but we haven't done enough to get over the hump."
Davis and the coaching staff have begun a meticulous evaluation period, which will continue until the team returns to action at Wake Forest on Oct. 27.
Tar Heels mix in trickery
The North Carolina offense mixed in some new wrinkles to the playbook last Saturday against South Carolina.
Freshman wide receiver Greg Little and senior wideout Joe Dailey, formerly a quarterback, lined up under center to take some direct snaps and run the option.
And Davis offered a lighthearted explanation of the inspiration behind these trick plays Tuesday.
"Right off of Xbox," he said. "During the week we go straight to Madden and Xbox, and we look for special plays and we just try to pull them in."
One of the usual suspects involved in such plays, junior wide receiver and kick returner Brandon Tate, was knocked out of the game on Saturday in the second quarter.
Davis said that Tate underwent the typical evaluations for a concussion and that "he's going to be fine."
Three-headed RB continues
On Saturday, UNC had its third leading rusher in the last four games, as freshman Johnny White stepped up and gained 37 rushing yards.
But it was his explosiveness that stood out, as his gains included a 21-yard scamper and a 33-yard catch.
"He certainly brought in a little bit of speed," Davis said of White. "Certainly the catching part out of the backfield, he showed some burst and got it downfield."
White adds another facet to the running game to complement Anthony Elzy and Ryan Houston.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/15/07 4:00am)
CARY - The North Carolina baseball team might not give out an MVP award for its annual intra-squad Fall World Series. But if it did, Alex White would have made a strong case for his candidacy this year.
After pitching his Carolina Blue Sox to victory in Game 1 of the series, White provided the late-game heroics in the series clincher on Sunday, but that time it was at the plate.
With the bases loaded and a tied score in the bottom of the 10th, White laced a line drive single down the right field line to give the Blue Sox the 5-4 victory against the Sox Slayers.
"I was just trying to hit the ball to the right side," the sophomore right-hander said. "We had one out, just trying to get the run in, and I was lucky I got a fastball and got a base hit."
The walk-off hit was White's second hit of the day and also provided his third RBI.
Coming in to score on the play was Tim Federowicz, who was the first player drafted by the Blue Sox seniors. Federowicz had three hits, scored two runs and earned the win as a relief pitcher.
But the junior wasn't motivated by traditional means.
"The loser has to run 10 miles and the winner has to run five miles," he said. "So my first two years I had to run 10, so I wasn't trying to do that again."
The annual series is meant to put players in their first competitive situation of the year and evaluate progress. Naturally, this involves a lot of experimentation with the lineup.
After starting Game 1 on the mound, White proceeded to start games at first base, right field and second base throughout the series. Sophomore Dustin Ackley topped him by playing three different positions in the same inning - and he did it two innings in a row.
Players were exchanging gloves on the field as they swapped spots according to different scenarios and minor injuries.
"I played every position that I can play out here in the scrimmages," White said. "We have a lot of guys that can play different positions, which is good. We're going to need them."
Even with the nature of the scrimmage, the players kept up the intensity throughout the series.
"It's the fun part of the fall, seeing our guys compete and our coaches compete against each other," head coach Mike Fox said. "We try to make it as even as possible, and I think we did that - the games were all pretty close.
While the tradition of the Fall World Series held true, the location of this year's series was entirely new. The four games were played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, which will house the Tar Heels this year while Boshamer Stadium undergoes renovations.
"It's real nice," Federowicz said of UNC baseball's temporary park. "It's huge though - it plays a lot bigger than Boshamer Stadium. It's a lot of fun, great playing surface - it's going to be a good home for us."
And Fox said that it isn't just the facilities that the Tar Heels have enjoyed about the complex.
"This is beautiful, this place is nice," he said. "And they've treated us well, too, and that's a big part of it.
"The USA people and the town of Cary, they welcome us being out here."
The Blue Sox's game-winning rally on Sunday also was set up by clutch hitting in the ninth inning. Down by a run, sophomores Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager hit back-to-back doubles to force extra innings.
For the Sox Slayers, the top four players in the order - Mike Cavasinni, Garrett Gore, Dustin Ackley and Kyle Shelton - all had multi-hit games in the losing effort.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/24/07 4:00am)
All told, it took less than four minutes of game time to happen. But as many Tar Heels showed afterward as they stood head-in-hands, the stinging and shock would take much longer to wear off.
After leading No. 13 Boston College by a goal for most of the game, the UNC men's soccer team saw this margin vanish with little more than three minutes remaining in regulation. Then, 37 seconds into the first sudden-victory overtime period, the Eagles put the game away.
North Carolina (2-2-3, 1-1-0) had possession in its own half before a weak clearance attempt by Ryan Adeleye turned it over to the Golden Eagles (5-1-0, 2-0-0), who capitalized immediately. Alejandro Bedoya sent a pass through the Tar Heel defensive line to a streaking Mike Konicoff, who deposited it into the net for the victory.
"That was a mental thing," UNC coach Elmar Bolowich said. "We were disorganized, we had a back pass, it was a poor clearance. But still, if we stay compact the guy doesn't run through like he did."
Bolowich said the first Boston College goal also was a result of a defensive error on UNC's part. On a late set piece, Reuben Ayarna sent a curving cross into the UNC box, where it found Bedoya, who scored on a one-time volley.
"It was a mental letdown on our part that allowed them the goal," Bolowich said. "We were not organized, we panicked a little bit as it came down and on the restart they had two guys open on the far side."
The goal knotted up the scoreboard at one apiece, as the Tar Heels had found an early goal. In the 24th minute, sophomore forward Bill Dworsky found junior midfielder Scott Campbell, but BC goalie Chris Brown made an impressive diving save. However, junior midfielder Michael Callahan corralled the rebound and finished the play to get North Carolina on the board.
"It was a good team goal," Callahan said. "Scott did a great job getting it in the box. I was in the right place at the right time."
But UNC, which controlled possession once again for much of the contest, surrendered a big swing in momentum when the Eagles answered in regulation.
This swing prevented UNC once again from accomplishing something that has not been done in the 19-year Elmar Bolowich era. Despite being a perennial contender and even winning a national title in 2001, the coach has never started ACC play 2-0.
"Right now we are just taking the hits," Bolowich said. "We are playing in a very unforgiving league, and if you make a mistake you get punished. And that's the way it should be because in the end that's what makes you better."
UNC, who began the year ranked No. 16 and has since dropped out of the top 25, had higher hopes for the start of the season. But Bolowich said the team can recover.
"We've got to go forward," he said. "I still see growth - I see how we gradually get better. We played almost a flawless first half."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/24/07 4:00am)
When North Carolina's top doubles tandem of Lenny Gullan and David Stone peered across the net at their opponents in the Flight A Finals at the UNC Fall Invitational on Sunday, they saw something strangely familiar - a set of UNC teammates staring back.
Senior Benjamin Carlotti and sophomore Andrew Crone also advanced to the championship match at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center to complete the all-UNC final.
Stone and Gullan, both seniors, proved to be too much for the less experienced pair, winning 8-3 to take the title. For Stone, the key was to keep up his competitiveness in spite of the familiar opponents.
"It's more internal intensity," he said. "You don't want to get in their face and pump your fist, but I thought we did a great job keeping up our intensity even though we were playing some guys on our team."
The doubles championship was not the only title match that pitted Stone against a teammate. He also reached the finals in the Yellow Flight B singles bracket, where he faced UNC senior Sandeep Daiya. Once again, Stone was victorious.
"It's probably better playing guys on your team because it's like practice all over again," Stone said. "You're a little more relaxed, and everything comes to you a little easier."
Other Tar Heels in action on the singles side included seniors Will Plyler and Karl Wishart. After defeating two ACC rivals on Saturday, Plyler eventually met his match in nationally-ranked Martin Sayer from Radford in the Blue Flight A Finals.
"I won some of the big points in some of my closer matches," Plyler said. "But today, he was just a little too good for me."
Wishart took home the Green Flight B Finals after defeating Davidson's Ethan Jaffe. It was his fourth straight time advancing to the title match in the tournament, and the second time he has won it.
The results and level of play this weekend were watched closely by UNC coach Sam Paul, who is in the process of determining roster spots for the spring season.
"We're sort of just evaluating where we are and what we have to work on," he said.
"It's a two-step process - winning and losing, and also seeing what we have to work on. We've only been in practice for two weeks, so we have a lot of work to do."
Paul said that the level of play was sharper than in recent tournaments, which showed in the results as UNC players or doubles teams won three Flight brackets - largely due to the senior class.
But the Tar Heels know that they must keep it up, as roster spots will be hard to come by after only losing one senior starter from last year.
"One thing for sure is they know we have a deep team," Paul said. "It's a new year. We've got to perform; you've got to be ready to play.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/20/07 4:00am)
Same story, different day.
The North Carolina men's soccer team added another chapter to its scoring woes Wednesday night, as it dueled visiting William & Mary to a scoreless tie on Fetzer Field.
But it wasn't for lack of opportunity.
The Tar Heels (2-1-3) let loose a season-high 27 shots, 11 of which were on net. UNC also earned 19 corners and even drew a penalty kick in the second overtime period.
And they came away empty every time.
"Twenty-something shots - it could have been 40," coach Elmar Bolowich said. "It doesn't matter. Shots only count when they go in, and we couldn't make a play."
Five different Tar Heels recorded three shots, and sophomore Zach Loyd tallied four - the same count as the entire William & Mary team.
"The chances are there - we're just not putting them away," junior midfielder Joan Carvajal said.
The best chance for the Tar Heels came with just five minutes remaining in the second extra session. After Carvajal and sophomore Bill Dworsky executed a fancy give-and-go, Carvajal was tripped in the box - earning a penalty kick.
But Tribe keeper Andrew McAdams, who had 10 saves on the evening, guessed right and blocked junior Scott Campbell's shot.
"I felt like I struck it well," Campbell said. "I mean, it could have been another foot over."
The Tar Heels only beat McAdams once, when a second half Carvajal corner squirted through to Loyd, who one-timed a low strike to the far post. But a heads-up William & Mary defender deflected it away.
For the vast majority of the contest, UNC controlled the tempo and kept the Tribe (2-3-1) pinned deep in its own half of the field.
"We were dominating the game, playing practically in one half," Bolowich said. "And you have that amount of opportunities, you have to rely that one of the players makes a play."
William & Mary, though, seemed content to sit back with extra players clogging up their defensive end. And after turning away UNC's attempts, they looked to counterattack.
The strategy nearly worked on three separate occasions, in which Tribe counters led to what appeared to be goals. However, all three were whistled back on offsides calls.
"They defended well," Bolowich said of the Tribe. "They were disciplined, they didn't give up on any balls, and they got in the way of things. It is very hard to be creative when you play against constantly 10 players (in the box)."
The Tar Heels will look to bounce back on Saturday, when they host ACC foe Boston College. And they are eager to get back on the field to try to get some results.
"It's an ACC game, it will be a tough match," Bolowich said. "This is past - this is nothing we can change."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(09/19/07 4:00am)
Following two consecutive painful losses, some of the typical grumblings and doubts have begun to resurface about North Carolina football.
But UNC coach Butch Davis said the success of this football program will not be measured in the short term.
"Success is a byproduct of the things that you do to prepare to win - film study, practicing hard," he said. "It truly may not come on the week that you want it to. But it all lays the foundation for the successes that you want to have this week, next week, next month, in the future."
(08/31/07 4:00am)
After two impressive exhibition victories, the No. 16 North Carolina men's soccer team is slated to begin its season with two games this weekend in the annual Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field.
And the Tar Heels are champing at the bit to get it started.
"It's amazing," sophomore Bill Dworsky said. "It's tough to describe. The preseason games are nice, but they're still just preseason games. I just can't wait until Friday night, especially being a home game. To open the season at home is just going to be great."
UNC will play Monmouth on Friday night in the season opener in the first meeting between the two teams. While the Tar Heels will be heavily favored in the matchup, coach Elmar Bolowich insisted that no team is to be taken lightly.
"Very few people know about Monmouth," Bolowich said. "And we certainly do not underestimate them or overestimate ourselves, so it's a pretty good test for us."
On Sunday, the Tar Heels will get a shot at redemption. Last year, UNC met Old Dominion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and ODU sent them packing by a final score of 1-0, ending the season for North Carolina.
But Bolowich said the Tar Heels will not be using the bitter memory of that loss to drive them to play harder Sunday against the No. 20 Monarchs.
"To play with the revenge factor is in my opinion sometimes not a great motivation," he said. "We still have so much that we need to sort out ourselves that we need to focus solely on us and not on the opponent."
UNC has reason for optimism entering the weekend, as it looked sharp against Davidson and UNC-Asheville in the preseason. The Tar Heels outscored the two teams by a combined score of 7-2 and were in the driver's seat for the majority of both games.
"There were a lot of positives in those games," Bolowich said. "For one, we scored more goals than last year playing similar competition. That is a positive sign."
"We dominated both games for the most part."
The UNC offense had a strong showing after spending much of last year in hibernation. Two goals apiece from Dworsky and Ryan Johnson led the attack.
"We did well on set pieces," Dworsky said. "We scored a goal off a corner kick in our last game against Asheville, and we scored a goal on a free kick in our first game. So that's definitely a positive, and we want to do our best to keep scoring goals."
Junior midfielder Michael Callahan, who scored against UNC-Asheville, said it was a commitment to an attacking mentality that helped put up the exhibition results.
"I think this year we've been doing a much better job of getting numbers in the box," he said. "Last year we struggled with that a little. Just keep playing with that mind-set that we're going to score a lot of goals and I think it'll come."
UNC will need to keep attacking, as well as relying on preseason All-American defender Andre Sherard in the back, in order to perform well this weekend.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/30/07 4:00am)
The ebb and flow of place kicker Connor Barth's career at North Carolina closely resembles that of the shoreline in his hometown Wilmington. And with a tidal wave of expectations coming into his senior year, the hopes of UNC might be placed squarely on the special teams captain's right foot.
But it wouldn't be the first time this has happened. While just a freshman, Barth nailed the game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat then-No. 4 Miami and send Chapel Hill into a frenzy.
The kick was the defining moment of Barth's career, and it instantly turned him into a campus celebrity.
"As soon as you do something big like that, it's like the whole town knows you," Barth said. "It's insane - if I would have never hit that kick, probably no one would have known who I was."
The Miami kick highlighted a banner freshman year for Barth in which he made 14 of 18 field goals and was named a second-team freshman All American by Rivals.com.
But then he ran into some trouble in the form of the dreaded sophomore slump. In his second season at UNC, Barth made just 11 of 21 field goal attempts.
"I stunk it up," he admitted.
Barth would come back strong in his junior year, though, making all 10 field goal attempts to become the only kicker in the NCAA rankings with a 1.000 field goal percentage.
"I've been around some very good ones and maybe (Cleveland Brown) Phil Dawson was probably the best place kicker," head coach Butch Davis said. "He had just a great mental framework, and I think that Connor is very similar to that. He is so serious, and he takes such pride in trying to kick well."
Davis also said that Barth's ability to bounce back and overcome adversity allowed him to become one of the NCAA's most accurate kickers.
"And the other thing is, he takes such great pride - when he doesn't kick one well, I mean, it really bothers him," Davis said. "He'll go and practice that same kick 10 or 15 times on another field after that particular drill is over."
Entering this season, Barth has been named to the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award.
"I'm hoping to gain confidence and actually do well this year being on the watch list and make it to the semifinals," he said.
"It's just cool to be honored with the top 30 guys in the country."
Still a surfer at heart, Barth has distinguished himself as one of the more colorful personalities on the squad. He entered training camp sporting a mustache reminiscent of former Oakland A's pitcher Rollie Fingers and is working on starting up a T-shirt company called Outrageous Clothing.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/27/07 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After competing in the College World Series final for two consecutive years, North Carolina's baseball team has established itself as one of the premier programs in the country.
And with construction beginning this fall, the stadium that houses those Tar Heels will catch up.
Starting with a formal ground-breaking ceremony Saturday, Boshamer Stadium will receive a multimillion dollar face-lift and will be a state-of-the-art facility by 2009. More than $15 million in private donations have been raised by the Rams Club to fund the project, and athletic director Dick Baddour said the Athletic Department is prepared to finance an extra $2 million.
"We're pumped about it," Baddour said. "It's a great plan. Boshamer was built in the early '70s, and we really haven't done much to it since then.
"It's a great place to watch a game now, and that will only get better."
The new amenities to be included in the new Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium have been largely focused on improving the viewing experience for fans. Enhancements will include a larger concourse, more than 4,000 chair-back seats, new concession and restroom areas and premium seating.
"It's off the charts," Rams Club Major Gift Director Russell James said. "The main purpose of it is to get more people associated with Carolina baseball. The fan experience is going to be 100 times better."
The renovations also will include upgrades for the Tar Heels themselves, including larger dugouts, a new equipment room, a covered outdoor hitting and pitching facility, and better lighting and drainage. New office suites will be built for the coaching staff and the media.
But these changes will not happen overnight. And they won't even happen by the spring when the Tar Heels take the field.
Because of the project's lengthy timeline, UNC is scheduled to play its 2008 schedule at Stadium Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary.
"There's only really one downside, and that's that the seniors in their last year are going to be in a transition time, so they won't be able to finish their career in Boshamer," Baddour said. "But as we said to them, they were a part of the core group that helped us build it, in terms of bringing credibility to the program and getting the donations. Their hearts are in it - that's for sure."
The UNC players themselves also have mixed opinions on the implications of the project.
"It's going to be a lot different, a little unfortunate because Boshamer is such a great home," sophomore Kyle Seager said. "But Cary is a class place, so it's going to be nice."
However, the location of Stadium Field will make it difficult for some UNC fans to attend games, especially students with class schedules to work around.
"What will be of concern is the accessibility for the students on campus because it won't be as easy," Baddour said. "I expect if we suffer in attendance, it's likely to be more in the weekday games. But this is just one of those things: To get better you have to go through this type of transition."
And Matt Terrell, the director of membership and marketing for the Rams Club, also said that the positives of the new stadium outweigh any temporary inconveniences.
"It's unfortunate that we have to be off campus, but I think the facility that we'll end up with makes it worth it," he said.
Despite the hassle this season for the Tar Heels and their fans, optimism is high among those involved in the project, as the final result will make Boshamer Stadium one of the premier college ballparks around.
"I'm really excited," Seager said. "That will be my junior year, so I'll have at least one year to play in the new Boshamer. From what the coaches and everybody have been saying, it's going to be top-of-the-line, one of the best in the country."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
Boshamer Stadium renovation Funding:
(08/22/07 4:00am)
It typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the speed of a soccer game to settle down from a frenetic pace to a more controlled, steady one.
But North Carolina redshirt sophomore forward Ryan Johnson had something to say about that in Tuesday's exhibition game against Davidson.
Less than one minute after being substituted onto Fetzer Field in the 32nd minute, he provided No. 16 UNC with just the jolt it needed.
A burst of speed, combined with a well-played lead pass by Scott Campbell, set Johnson up a step ahead of the last defender, and he deposited the ball into the back of the net.
"(Fresh legs) were a big factor," Johnson said. "The center backs were going to drop back after somebody gets through. I was just glad to get by."
The goal served as a spark for UNC, which came out inspired in the second half and netted three more goals to come away with a 4-1 victory.
"It gave us a little boost," head coach Elmar Bolowich said. "Because at the time we were just grinding away, and you want finally that result."
Two of the second-half goals came off the foot of sophomore forward Bill Dworsky. He tapped in a rebound off of a Brian Shriver shot for his first.
Five minutes later, he received an outlet pass and began a counterattack. With his defender leaning to the outside, he juked inside and let loose a left-footed shot from 25 yards out that wound up in the lower left-hand corner of the net.
"All throughout the preseason, coach has been telling us to be more aggressive going forward and taking on defenders," Dworsky said.
"As soon as I got the ball, I decided I wanted to go for the goal. So I just had to take a touch and try to create the angle for the shot."
The game was a tale of two halves for the Tar Heels. Prior to Johnson's goal, it appeared that last year's trend of missing opportunities was going to continue.
The early chances included a Campbell free kick that sailed just over the crossbar, a shot by Shriver that struck the post, and a free kick by Michael Callahan that was saved.
"We were a little off with our timing, the feel for one another - that sort of connection," Bolowich said. "And that's natural. We've been together for five or six days, and we have to chip away at the block."
But after the intermission, North Carolina capitalized on its opportunities to put Davidson away.
The newcomers for UNC also made their presence felt. Energetic transfer Joan Carvajal seemed to always be on the ball, while freshman Cameron Brown and redshirt freshman David Rodriguez also had an impact.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/21/07 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Almost immediately after its second straight heartbreak in the College World Series final, the North Carolina baseball program set out once again on what might be the most difficult, but also the most important, task on its agenda - recruiting.
The recruiting war is a complex one, with battles raging on all fronts. Not only must UNC compete against other schools for the nation's top-tier recruits, but it also must clash with the lure of the professional draft. To make matters even more complicated, the University must abide by legislation from the NCAA that limits the tools in its arsenal, all while keeping in mind the financial situation of the family involved.
Needless to say, head coach Mike Fox and his assistants have had their hands full.
"(Recruiting) is something we do 24 hours a day," Fox said. "It never stops; it's constant; it's daily. It's the most important part, and that's all we do since we've gotten home since the World Series."
Baseball, unlike any other NCAA sport, has specific restrictions on its recruiting process, beginning with a limited number of scholarships to dole out. Each program can give out a maximum of 11.78 total scholarships to its incoming recruiting class, a rule Fox said makes it difficult to provide athletes with enough scholarship money.
"We only have so many pieces of the pie with the 11.7, so we just try to divide it up as fair as we can," he said.
"When you're trying to field a team and have depth and when everyone is on partial scholarship, it's a difficult task."
The NCAA also has imposed and recently amended a rule that implemented a minimum scholarship amount. The bar was originally set at 33 percent but was recently decreased to 25 percent as part of a compromise to try to give schools some more wiggle room.
The reasoning behind the regulations has to do with the sport's Academic Progress Rate, which is designed to measure the sport's success in terms of eligibility and retention. Failing to reach a 50 percent graduation rate, as well as losing transfer students, hurts the APR and results in forfeited scholarships.
"The main goal of this whole thing was to try to restrict transfers," Baseball America writer Aaron Fitt said. "It's hard to tell a kid who's paying 90 percent of his own costs not to transfer if he's not getting playing time. This was designed as a way for schools to make an increased financial commitment to players."
Still, the reform left many Division I coaches, including those from UNC, feeling slighted.
"I'm not happy with that part of the legislation at all," Fox said. "I don't like being told what amount of scholarship to offer to a young man.
"We got a little bit of a reprieve with 33 down to 25, but our institution wasn't in favor of any type of minimum scholarship."
An additional NCAA regulation to decrease the number of scholarship players on each team should pass and take effect next August. By the 2008-09 year, programs must decrease their number of scholarship athletes to 30, and then further cut it to 27 by 2009-10. UNC's coaches aren't alone in their distaste for this rule, even among ACC coaches.
"Obviously I think it would be better if we had more scholarships," Boston College coach Mikio Aoki said. "I think baseball has gotten to the point - look at the postseason - and for three or four years in a row now, it's one of the sports that actually makes money, as opposed to the others that lose money. So it's certainly a sport that should be considered by the NCAA to expand the number of scholarships."
Aoki also said he would like to be able to reward a nonscholarship senior with some scholarship money after four years of service. But with only 27 players allowed to be on scholarship, the 11.78-scholarship cap and the 25 percent minimum amount, it's nearly impossible to afford.
An additional disadvantage comes into play for private schools, which have significantly higher tuitions. With only 11.7 scholarships to give out, each prospect can receive only a small piece of the pie, which still leaves recruits for private institutions with hefty bills to pay.
Carrying these limitations, baseball coaches must hit the road early and often to try to make their sell. For the Tar Heels, associate head coach Chad Holbrook and pitching coach Scott Forbes join Fox in completing the heavy lifting of recruiting. And they must set out with a carefully crafted plan to accomplish the task.
"Our strategy is to still get the best players out of the state of North Carolina," Forbes said. "We know that there are some kids out there that we're going to have to get for 25 percent. We've been fortunate in the past to get kids for below, but that's not the case anymore."
Fox also said the way the coaching staff approaches each recruit varies with the situation.
"I think every situation is different," he said. "You just have to look at each from whether in-state or out-of-state, what position he plays, the family's capability financially, how much they value education. Every situation is different in terms of the amount. That's the difficult part."
Still, both coaches clarified that UNC does not offer any full scholarships to recruits, as this would simply not leave enough to go around to the rest of the recruits.
"We have not given out a full here in a long time," Forbes said. "It's something that you can't really do if you're going to go to Omaha."
Whatever the formula for UNC has been, it's working. Most recently, pitching recruits Matt Harvey and Nate Striz were both drafted in the first five rounds of the Major League Baseball draft. But they did not sign professional contracts and will attend UNC.
Other colleges handle recruiting strategy differently. Some coaches designate a percentage they are willing to dish out for pitching, another for infielders and a third amount for outfielders. Boston College approaches each prospect with a rigid dollar amount in mind, based on the player's skill level. Aoki also does not hand out full scholarships.
Because of the contempt of coaches across the country, especially in underbudgeted Northern schools, Fitt believes that the legislation is not permanent.
"I think they're going to continue to study this issue," he said. "I don't think this a perfect solution by any means - there are a lot of concerns."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
Baseball recruiting regulations
(08/21/07 4:00am)
As the dog days of summer brought the intense North Carolina sun, position battles were heating up at UNC's football training camp. Underclassmen struggled to be noticed, seasoned vets doled out advice and certain hardworking Tar Heels distinguished themselves from the rest of the pack.
One group that made big strides at camp last week was the defensive backfield, and new head coach Butch Davis took notice.
"The area of the football team that has made significant improvement this week has been the secondary," Davis said Wednesday. "And one guy in particular is Deunta Williams."
(08/21/07 4:00am)
The deepest position on this year's North Carolina football roster could be at wide receiver, largely because of a pair of highly touted freshman recruits.
But how much potential does this class really have? Just ask SuperPrep All-American Greg Little.
"I could see Sports Illustrated, you know, us on the cover," he said. "I hope it's our whole senior class, just on that Sports Illustrated cover - just us all taking it in, the whole team just reaping all the benefits."
Rashad Mason joins Little in this capable class, and wide receivers coach Charlie Williams has taken notice of their potential impact at UNC.
"They're going to be real good down the line," he said. "They're really going to help this football team."
But a quick reality check will bring about a reminder that these freshmen are still buried on the depth chart under some returning impact players. They know that it will take patience and improvement before their numbers are called.
"It's real tough right now as a freshman," Little said. "Brooks Foster, he's pretty much the man, and Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks, Joe Dailey - the list goes on. But that's only going to make me better, going to make me compete to my utmost level."
As Little and Mason have observed the upperclassmen and worked under head coach Butch Davis' system, they have begun to address the main issue that has plagued UNC receivers since the spring - consistency.
"We were so poor in the springtime," Davis said. "We couldn't catch the ball at all, and then we could catch it every now and then, and we kind of catch it sometimes, and now we're catching it almost all the time."
Davis said he also has seen glimpses of the game-breaking ability that these receivers possess.
"Playmaking ability is starting to become evident," he said. "You start to see glimpses of what these guys are capable of, and I think they're starting to see glimpses of what they're capable of."
It was that ability that distinguished the duo coming into UNC. Little, a Durham native, was ranked the No. 2 player in the state and the No. 6 athlete in the country by SuperPrep. He was listed by most scouts as the most versatile recruit in the nation.
Mason also was dubbed the No. 2 player in his home state of Tennessee by SuperPrep. Scout.com ranked him the No. 14 receiver in the country, and Rivals had him at No. 18.
These two youngest members of the receiving corps have been soaking in as much information as they can while sweating out the dog days of training camp. And as the start of the season approaches, optimism and excitement have driven the pair of freshmen even harder.
"There's definitely a lot of excitement," Little said. "With the freshman class and what's already going on here, we can only come in and help to contribute to what's already been set before us. It's looking real well. The team's excited, and I can just feel the excitement because I know how well these guys can perform."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/20/07 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At this time last year, the North Carolina men's soccer program was riding high, entering the season with a No. 1 preseason national ranking.
But after those Tar Heels finished just 11-6-3, good for seventh in the ACC, and then saw seven senior starters depart, this year's squad is determined to ignore any hype and prove itself on the field.
"Last year we kind of let it get to our head because we were number one in the nation," sophomore defender Eddie Ababio said. "So this year we want to be more underdogs and play each game like we're underdogs."
UNC may step into this underdog role naturally, as it is ranked No. 16 in the NSCAA/adidas Division I Preseason Poll and predicted by ACC coaches to finish fourth in the ultra-competitive conference. But an incoming class loaded with talent and a couple of rising leaders might have something to say before all is said and done.
"There have been times we were picked first and we struggled, and there have been times we were picked last," senior defender Andre Sherard said. "We know we're good enough to be one of the best, so we're not too concerned about that."
Sherard, this year's team captain, is one of only four seniors on the team after the stacked class of '07 graduated. Notably missing from this year's team are the lighting-quick Corey Ashe, points-leader Ben Hunter, goalkeeper Justin Hughes and defender Michael Harrington - all of whom were taken in the MLS draft.
In addition, forward Stephen Bickford transferred to Denver and highly-touted defender Eric Lichaj unexpectedly left to play for the English Premier League's Aston Villa before ever appearing in a game for UNC.
"You always miss something when you lack that kind of experience, with seven guys leaving off the team, six of them starters - that's a little bit tough to overcome," head coach Elmar Bolowich said.
But reinforcements were plentiful for UNC, which brought in the 11th-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to College Soccer News.
This freshman class is headlined by prep standout Cameron Brown from Texas, who is coming off an ACL tear but might be the best midfield recruit in the nation.
"He can add something," Bolowich said. "He's very, very talented, very dynamic, fun to watch."
Joining Brown in College Soccer News' Top 100 Freshmen list is high school All-American Brett King. Forward Daniel Choi from South Korea could also compete for time.
Rounding out the newcomers for UNC are two transfer athletes, Ryan Adeleye from Davidson College and Joan Carvajal out of Creighton University.
The returning depth for UNC, though not plentiful, is nothing to overlook. Sherard was dubbed a preseason 2nd team All-American and is one of 29 members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Hermann Trophy watch list.
The electric midfield duo of juniors Michael Callahan and Scott Campbell also returns, as well as a sophomore class featuring Ababio, Zach Loyd, and Bill Dworsky.
Still, the Tar Heels will field a relatively shallow team when exhibition play begins Tuesday with a game against Davidson.
Another nagging problem for North Carolina is a lack of that killer instinct needed to sniff out the back of the net. Last year's squad managed just 26 goals in 20 games.
"It wasn't a lack of creating chances - we had tons of chances," Bolowich said. "It was like we didn't have that scoring knack; we didn't have that one go-getter that is just putting the ball over the line."
Callahan, Campbell and Dworsky likely will shoulder much of the scoring load this year, with junior Brian Shriver also chipping in to try to muster more of an attack.
"We are not a defensive team by any stretch of the imagination," Bolowich said. "We are going to attack the hell out of teams, and whether that's going to result in a whole lot more goals, I don't know. Time will tell; personnel will tell."
In the unforgiving ACC, the newcomers will need to mature and leaders must emerge quickly. And every game will count. Last year, for instance, the result of one late conference game catapulted a team from seventh to second in the standings.
But the Tar Heels aren't thinking about standings, predictions or preseason accolades. They are just practicing hard and champing at the bit, eager to be under the Fetzer Field lights and to try to expand upon the school record of eight-straight NCAA tournament appearances.
"Every game is unbelievably competitive," Callahan said. "Personally, and I know I speak for the team, we're all looking forward to the challenge."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
Seniors lost from men's soccer