Carrieri Extends Scoring Hot Streak

Chris Carrieri was clutch during the first half of North Carolina's season. The junior forward scored the game-winning goal in five of the men's soccer team's first seven matches. Then UNC (12-2, 3-1 in the ACC) lost to No. 8 Virginia on Sept. 24. Although Carrieri assisted his squad's only goal, he was contained by a leg injury and a tough Cavalier defense. But Carrieri has been back in full throttle ever since the UVa. game - the No.

Okulaja Returns to Familiar Setting

The scene Ademola Okulaja returned to Monday night had not changed much from the one he left after the 1998-1999 season. Okulaja's brother, Adekola, was in the crowd at the Smith Center to watch him play - just like he was when Ademola played for the North Carolina men's basketball team.

Men's Golf Takes 6th At Duke Golf Classic

The North Carolina men's golf team fired a 293 in the final round of the Duke Golf Classic and finished in sixth place with a total of 886. The event was played at Duke Golf Club, which is a par 72. UNC freshman Dustin Bray tied for 10th place, the best individual finish for the Tar Heels. He carded a 4-over 220 with a 1-over 73 in the final round. Senior Rob Simmons finished strong for the Tar Heels with a 1-under-71 but still ended the classic tied for 24th at 223. N.C. State won the tournament with a team score of 290 in the final round and an 876 overall mark.

Fast Start Helps UNC Beat Duke

North Carolina's volleyball squad dropped a tough match to Wake Forest at home Friday night because of a slow start. The team was determined it would not happen again. So the Tar Heels came out looking to start strong, and they took an early lead against rival Duke on their way to a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. "(Against Duke) we came on being ready and focused," middle hitter Krista Buchholz said. "We came on saying we would win the first game." The Tar Heels developed this attitude after dropping the first two games of Friday's match to Wake.

Wolfpack Victory Marked by Emotions on Both Sides

Kory Bailey knew it was getting ready to happen. The North Carolina junior wideout could see the N.C. State players pointing. Their fingers were aimed at the interlocked "NC" emblem at midfield of Kenan Stadium. As the clock wound down, the Wolfpack players sprinted to midfield and danced in celebration. N.C. State's seven-game losing streak against the Tar Heels had finally ended with its 38-20 victory. "After seven straight years of not winning and then having a chance to win, I expect them to be excited," UNC coach Carl Torbush said.

Field Hockey Notches Shutouts Against Weekend Foes

Tar Heel Men Capture Meet

CULLOWHEE - The North Carolina men's cross country team won the North Carolina Intercollegiate Championship on Saturday. The Tar Heels had 40 points and finished 22 points ahead of Duke Team B. Senior Nick Iauco crossed the line first for UNC and finished fourth overall with a time of 25 minutes, 52 seconds. Matt Weiss and Terrance McRae tied for fifth place with identical times of 26:01. Jim Martin and Bobby Borbet also crossed the line with identical times to finish tied for 10th.

Volleyball Learns From Mistakes in Weekend Split

North Carolina's volleyball team got a wake-up call Friday night against Wake Forest. UNC had an unlucky Friday the 13th as the Demon Deacons handed the Tar Heels their first conference loss of the season 3-2 (7-15, 6-15, 15-10, 16-14, 13-15). The loss came in front of a rowdy crowd that was getting psyched for Midnight Madness. "We need to pick up the little things," said senior defensive specialist Lisa Fryer, who had 17 digs in the match. "It's a mindset.

Tar Heels Get Title, Revenge

By Joe Disney Staff Writer GREENSBORO - It was payback time this weekend for the men's soccer team at the Spartan Classic in Greensboro. With victories against Dartmouth and Rider during the weekend, fifth-ranked North Carolina captured the overall tournament title on goal differential against UNC-Greensboro. In mid-September, the Spartans won the Nike Carolina Classic, claiming the title against UNC by one goal in goal differential. The Tar Heels' performance in the two tournaments was completely different.

Mistakes Prove Costly in UNC Loss

The mistakes were supposed to be behind the North Carolina football team after its week off leading up to Saturday. They weren't. The Tar Heels, who felt as though they gave Georgia Tech a win two weeks ago at Kenan Stadium, came back and did the same thing for N.C. State. The Wolfpack's high-powered passing game managed just 221 yards, but the team still beat UNC - for the first time in eight tries - 38-20 before 59,000 fans at Kenan Stadium. "We're not worried about the statistics," said N.C.

Fans Pack Carmichael for Midnight Madness

"Midnight With Matt and the Tar Heels" was enjoyable for everyone involved. The crowd at Carmichael Auditorium. The North Carolina men's basketball team. And especially Matt. North Carolina rang in the new basketball year on Friday night - and Saturday morning - with a variety of contests and activities to excite Tar Heel fans. Those fans also got to see new coach Matt Doherty dust off his playing skills. "I thought things went great, from my perspective," Doherty said. "I won the 3-point shooting contest, I won the three-on-three contest, so selfishly, I had a good night.

Men's Golf Looks to Continue Improved Play

DURHAM - North Carolina's Richard Treis believes playing the last 18 holes of golf is easier than the first. His teammates would have to agree. The Tar Heels shot eight strokes lower than their first effort with a 293 team score in the second round. However, the late surge was just good enough to place UNC in seventh place out of 18 teams in the 2000 Iron Duke Golf Classic with an overall score of 593. The final round of competition will begin Monday morning. "As a team, we definitely improved after the first 18 holes," Treis said.

`Midnight With Matt' Kicks Off New Era for UNC

The official beginning of a new era in North Carolina men's basketball is less than 24 hours away. But the present will touch the past when UNC takes the floor at midnight tonight for its first practice under Matt Doherty. The event, dubbed "Midnight with Matt and the Tar Heels," will take place in Carmichael Auditorium. Doherty has been looking forward to the event for days. He wants Carmichael to look like it did when he played there from 1980-84 - a sea of blue. "I know the players are excited, and I think the students are, too," Doherty said.

UNC Looks to Continue ACC Success

The North Carolina volleyball team doesn't have the one star player that strikes terror in its opponent. Rather, the Tar Heels rely on strong team play and consistent hitting from everyone. UNC lost six players from last year. Three of those players were starters who helped carry North Carolina to an ACC championship. But this year's Tar Heels haven't let their teammates' departure get them down. They're 16-3 and undefeated in ACC play. "It's a concern all the time when you're filling three spaces," UNC coach Joe Sagula said.

SportsSaturday - A Dream Come True

Jeff Reed couldn't have expected his dream to unfold so perfectly. Not after getting such a late start. Not after spending his first few years at North Carolina watching games on television that his teammates were playing in hundreds of miles from Chapel Hill. Reed rarely told people about his dream - the chances of it coming true were slim. But that's what makes Reed's patient ascent from a little-known walk-on to one of the ACC's best kickers so special. "I had a dream, but I wouldn't ever say it." Reed said.

SportsSaturday - Bomars Bond Over Football

Gayle Bomar didn't realize it was his son at first. Somebody on the North Carolina defense had stopped N.C. State wideout Chris Coleman just shy of the end zone. But from his seat in the stands last Nov. 11, Bomar wasn't quite sure who made the play. He had no clue that his son, David - a one-time walk-on starting the third game of his career at safety - was the one who had swooped in and tackled Coleman six inches short of a touchdown with 1:28 left in the game. "To be honest about it, it was at the other end of the field where I was sitting," he said.

SportsSaturday - Sidebottom Perseveres Through Injuries, Thesis

Picture this: you're rehabilitating your right knee after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.

SportsSaturday - Robinson's Making It Happen

It was bound to happen. After all, N.C. State wide receiver Koren Robinson set a conference record for freshman receiving yardage last season. Factor in new coach Chuck Amato's pass-oriented attack and the arrival of strong-armed freshman quarterback Philip Rivers, and one would assume big numbers from Robinson this year. But no one knew exactly how big those numbers would be. Robinson has terrorized opposing secondaries this season, averaging a gaudy 120.2 receiving yards per game, good for second in the nation.

SportsSaturday - Pondering Prognostication

Virginia Tech will go undefeated again. Purdue's Drew Brees will win the Heisman Trophy. Dilliard's won't offer any more ridiculous discounts to Florida State players. Predictions such as these account for half the fun in college football and make for interesting conversation. We make our own predictions every week at the DTH, proving exactly how much this prognostication is really worth. Jaded by the glut of upsets in college football, a colleague of mine decided to throw his set of picks last week.

SportsSaturday - A View From The Other Side

Mike O'Cain wants this weekend to be just like any other. But it won't be. It can't be. And he knows it. O'Cain, North Carolina's offensive coordinator, figured that out early in the week when he was watching film of N.C. State, UNC's opponent today. The players he saw running around on the field were his guys. He was the one responsible for bringing them to Raleigh. He had celebrated with them after great wins against the likes of Syracuse and Florida State and suffered with them after bad losses to Baylor and Wake Forest. He was their coach, and they were his players.