Randy Wellington

Sports

Even Without 'A' Game, Sutton Outmatches Wake

By Randy Wellington | January 10

North Carolina had a simple strategy coming into its matchup with Wake Forest -- pound the ball inside. But the Tar Heels' inside game didn't dominate on Thursday night. Although center Candace Sutton was less than stellar, her mere presence opened up UNC's halfcourt offense and helped the No. 10 Tar Heels defeat Wake 86-56 Thursday night. "We wanted to get the ball inside at the beginning of the game because they didn't have any post players that were as big as I am," Sutton said.

Sports

Kneipper Takes Advantage of Scoring Opportunities

By Randy Wellington | October 23

Ryan Kneipper has been North Carolina's main source for goals this season. On Tuesday, he was the only source. He scored twice to lead the Tar Heels to a 2-0 win against George Mason. The goals gave him 11 on the season, ranking him third in the ACC. Kneipper netted his first goal in the 64th minute off a looping serve from midfielder Matt Crawford. "Matt dropped a perfect ball over the sweeper's head," Kneipper said. "I chested it down and hit it as hard as I could."

Sports

Cila's Goal Gives Him 1st Career Win Against UNC

By Randy Wellington | September 30

DURHAM -- Duke men's soccer forward Jordan Cila won't tell you it was the best shot of his life. But scoring the game-winner against North Carolina might have been the biggest goal of his career. The junior from Jericho, N.Y., scored in the 52nd minute on a 30-yard strike from the middle of the field. The goal clinched Duke's first victory against UNC since 1999. The shot seemed impossibly precise. Cila blasted his shot toward the net, and it dipped at the last second into the top left corner. Cila, though, played down the shot's difficulty.

Sports

Ex-Tar Heel Nicholson Returns To Haunt UNC

By Randy Wellington | September 9

It's a dish best served cold. Just ask the North Carolina men's soccer team. And for Davidson's Keith Nicholson, breaking UNC's 15-game home winning streak couldn't have been sweeter. The former Tar Heel scored the only goal of match in the 50th minute Saturday night at Fetzer Field, giving Davidson the 1-0 upset win against UNC. Nicholson failed to make the North Carolina varsity soccer team as a walk-on his sophomore year, after practicing with the team during the spring of his freshman year. After his sophomore year, Nicholson transferred to Davidson.

Sports

Late Goals Lift UNC to Weekend Victories

By Randy Wellington | September 3

The "Hail Mary" and the "buzzer-beater" are not generally terms in the soccer lexicon. But at Fetzer Field on Sunday, those were apt descriptions of a memorable moment for the 1,551 in attendance. With three seconds left on the clock and the score tied 1-1, forward Ryan Kneipper headed a long cross from Matt Crawford that slipped past St. Louis goalkeeper Martin Hutton to give No. 4 North Carolina the win. "That was a little bit of desperation," Crawford said of his game-winning assist.

Sports

Stadium Impresses Former Champions

By Randy Wellington | August 26

CARY -- The North Carolina men's soccer team tied Connecticut 2-2 Saturday in a game of top-ranked teams. Appropriately, the venue for the game was just as marquee as the matchup. Played at SAS Stadium in Cary with 2,005 in attendance, the game was an exhibition between the last two national champions. The "Clash of the Champions" is a game that Geoff Griffin, chairman of the board of the Capital Area Soccer League, hopes to make a tradition. But he won't stop there. "We want to bring in as many events as we can, local, regional and national," he said.

Sports

Blue Devils Fend Off Tar Heels in Late ACC Clash

By Randy Wellington | April 15

DURHAM -- The North Carolina women's tennis team's dream since the beginning of the season has been to win a national championship. Judging from Sunday's 5-2 loss to No. 5 Duke at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, a national championship is still possible, but an ACC championship seems unlikely. The loss by the Tar Heels (19-4, 7-1 in the ACC), combined with a 5-2 win against Clemson (13-9, 5-3) on Friday makes UNC the No. 2 seed in next weekend's ACC Championships.

Sports

Women Rally, Edge No. 3 Demon Deacons

By Randy Wellington | April 4

In a season of big wins, the biggest one for the No. 8 North Carolina women's tennis team didn't start on a resounding note. The Tar Heels lost the doubles point to fall behind 1-0 to No. 3 Wake Forest on Wednesday at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

Sports

Unity, Talent Secrets to Tennis' Success

By Randy Wellington | March 28

Discovering the key to the No. 9 North Carolina women's tennis team's success seemed an easy task. Great tennis players make a great tennis team.Tennis is not exactly a team game. Sure, there's doubles. But tennis is not a sport in which team unity seems important.

Sports

Yellow Jackets Stingless In UNC's Weekend Win

By Randy Wellington | March 25

If the North Carolina's women's tennis team had any doubts about the outcome of its match with Georgia Tech on Saturday, the concern did not show. With the efficiency of a Fortune 500 company, the No. 8 Tar Heels beat the 21st-ranked Yellow Jackets 5-2 at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. First, UNC (13-3, 2-0) won the doubles point by sweeping all three doubles matches. Straight-set wins by Marlene Mejia, Julie Rotondi and Aniela Mojzis in singles clinched the businesslike victory. Mejia disposed of Tech's Mysti Morris 6-3, 6-4 and was never worried about losing.