Men’s Soccer Travels to Virginia Tech on Sunday
Matchup: North Carolina (8-5-1, 2-4-0 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (9-2-3, 3-2-1 ACC)
Rankings: UNC No. –/–/–; Virginia Tech No. 13/21/11 (United Soccer Coaches/Top Drawer Soccer/College Soccer News)
Date: Sunday, October 24th, 2021
Site: Blacksburg, Va. (Thompson Field)
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: RSN
• North Carolina will compete in their seventh conference game of the season against a ranked Virginia Tech on Sunday, October 24th.
• The ACC’s set of Regional Sports Networks (RSN) will televise the game. Bally Sports South and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) will televise the game in the ACC region. A full list of affiliates is available on GoHeels.com.
• Carolina is coming off of a tough loss to Louisville (9-4, 4-2 ACC) on Friday, October 15th after allowing two goals in the final three minutes.
• Carolina is unranked in this weeks polls.
• Virginia Tech is ranked 13 by United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 21 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 11 by College Soccer News.
Tar Heel Tidbits
• UNC is averaging 1.86 goals per game this season while allowing only 1.00 from opponents.
• The Tar Heels have outshot their opponents in every game this season and hold a shot advantage of 239-70 through fourteen games.
• 17 of last 19 wins have been shut-out victories (dating back to 2020-21 season). All eight wins in 2021 Fall season have been shut-outs.
• Carolina is second in the ACC in shots per game at 17.07.
• Meanwhile, the UNC defense has held opponents scoreless in eight of fourteen games in 2021 and is allowing 1.00 goals per game.
• North Carolina holds and all-time advantage of 18-4-1 over Virginia Tech.
• Cameron Fisher is having a breakout season thus far in 2021, leading the Tar Heels with twelve points and five goals. Tega Ikoba has the second-most points on the team with eleven, and is tied for the most goals on the team with five.
• Ernest Bawa and Santiago Herrera are tied for the second-most goals on the team with three each.
• Other multi-goal scorers include senior Milo Garvanian (two), graduate transfer Chris Sullivan (two) , gradute transfer Gerit Wintermeyer (two) and fifth-year Alex Rose (two).
In the National Polls
• Carolina is unranked in this week’s polls
• Virginia Tech is ranked 13 by the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 21 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 11 by College Soccer News.
• Carolina began the season ranked No. 4 in all three polls.
Garvanian Leads Men’s Soccer Over Loyola Marymount, 2-0
• North Carolina took their earliest lead of the regular season since competing against Bucknell in their first game when Milo Garvanian scored on a penalty kick in the sixth minute.
• Garvanian found the back of the net for a second time only 17 minutes later to lead UNC over Loyola Marymount, 2-0.
• Alec Smir recorded two critical saves through 90 minutes to keep Loyola Marymount scoreless. UNC has now tallied 8 shutout wins this season.
• Garvanian’s successful penalty kick in the sixth minute tallied his first goal of the 2021 season.
• He proceeded to record his second goal of the season less than 20 minutes later with assists from Yaya Bakayoko and Santiago Herrera.
Louisville Defeats Men’s Soccer, 2-0
• North Carolina was outshot for the first time this season with only nine shots on the night.
• Alec Smir recorded five saves on the night, but allowed two goals in the final five minutes.
• For the majority of the second half, UNC was playing down a man after Tim Schels was issued a red card in the 58th minute.
• Despite playing with only 10 men for over 30 minutes, the North Carolina defense was able to fend off seven shots on goal (12 total) to hold Louisville scoreless.
Men’s Soccer Picks Up Win Over Wofford, 1-0
• Tega Ikoba scored in the first half and North Carolina maintained the lead established in the 24th minute, defeating Wofford by a 1-0 margin in men’s soccer action on Tuesday night at Dorrance Field.
• Alec Smir recorded three saves on the night and halted Wofford’s scoring throughout 90 minutes. Smir’s three saves led to his seventh shutout of the 2021 season.
• Ikoba and Cameron Fisher are tied for the team-lead with five goals each through 12 games.
• Despite multiple close opportunities from UNC throughout the game, Wofford’s goalkeeper, Joshua Old, posted six saves to limit the Tar Heels’ final score to one.
Men’s Soccer Falls to Wake Forest, 2-1
• The teams each found the back of the net in the second half, but a costly UNC foul gave Wake Forest a penalty kick in the 88th minute. The Demon Deacons connected on the PK and won, 2-1.
• North Carolina outshot Wake Forest 9-6, advancing the number of shots it’s taken in 2021 to 198, compared to the 49 it has allowed.
• Alec Smir recorded one save on the night in goal for UNC, while Wake Forest goalkeeper Trace Alphin kept the Tar Heels limited to one goal with four saves.
• After Wake Forest took an early lead in the second half, 1-0, Tim Schels helped create an opportunity for Tega Ikoba to tie the game at one.
• Ikoba’s goal was his fourth of the season, making him the second-leading goal scorer for UNC this season. Cameron Fisher leads the team with five through eleven games.
• With under three minutes remaining, a foul on Joe Pickering in the box gave Wake Forest a penalty kick opportunity. The penalty kick resulted in a goal in the 88th minute. North Carolina was unable to score before the clock ran out.
Men’s Soccer Grabs ACC Win Over NC State, 4-0
• After a goal in the first half by Cameron Fisher, the Tar Heels kept the momentum into the second half to score three more goals.
• The shut-out win over NC State advanced UNC’s record to 6-3-1 (2-2 ACC), while NC State’s record fell to 5-4-1 (0-3-1 ACC).
• North Carolina outshot NC State 15-7, advancing the number of shots it’s taken in 2021 to 188, compared to the 43 it has allowed.
• Alec Smir recorded his sixth shut-out win of the season, posting four saves to keep the Wolfpack scoreless through 90 minutes.
• A long pass down the field from Filippo Zattarin gave Cameron Fisher the ball in scoring position. Fisher’s one on one with the goal keeper resulted in a the Tar Heels taking a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.
• A play from Milo Garvanian gave Tega Ikoba the ball in front of the net, allowing him to secure his second goal of the season and a 2-0 lead in the 69th minute.
• Fisher’s breakout season was supported by a second goal from the junior midfielder after playing through multiple NC State players. Fisher leads the Tar Heels in points and goals through 10 games.
• With 1:06 on the clock, Gerit Wintermeyer found the back of the net with an assist from Aldair Sanchez to secure a 4-0 Tar Heel victory.
• North Carolina recorded its largest victory over NC State since 2011 with a total of four goals on Sunday night.
UNCW Defeats Men’s Soccer, 2-1
• Despite a scoreless first half, both teams were able to find the back of the net in the final 45 minutes. UNCW tallied two shots in the second half, both resulting in a goal.
• After UNCW’s Perrotta saved a close opportunity by Santiago Herrera, Nicolas Molina from UNCW was given a red card for a sliding tackle on Matthew Senanou. For the final 36 minutes, UNCW was limited to 10 players on the field.
• Despite being down a player, UNCW was able to strike first and take a 1-0 lead. A foul committed by Senanou gave UNCW a free kick to the left of the goal and just outside of the box. The free kick resulted in a goal.
• North Carolina was able to tie the game in the 80th minute on a goal from Tim Schels. The goal marked Schels’ first of the 2021 season and the second of his career.
• UNCW responded less than two minutes later to regain a 2-1 lead off of a corner kick.
Duke Grabs Early Lead, Downs UNC, 3-0
• Duke grabbed a 2-0 lead on a pair of broken plays in the first 13 minutes of the game and went on to defeat North Carolina, 3-0, on Sept. 19 at Dorrance Field.
• Duke took an early lead in the fifth minute when Shakur Mohammed scored off a rebound at the 4:08 mark. The Blue Devils went up 2-0 barely 10 minutes later when Daley scored off another rebound.
• Carolina out-shot the Blue Devils, 11-3, in the opening 45 minutes but trailed, 2-0, at halftime before a crowd of 2,310, the largest crowd of the season for the Tar Heels.
• In the second half, Duke scored another early goal when a Blue Devil pass richocheted off Tar Heel defender Jonathan Sinclair. Taylor collected the loose ball at close range and scored into the top left corner of the net past UNC goalkeeper Alec Smir for a 3-0 edge.
Fisher’s Late Goal Leads to 1-0 Win over Campbell
• Carolina got a goal from Cameron Fisher in the 82nd minute and beat Campbell, 1-0, on Sept. 14 at Dorrance Field.
• Fisher scored at the 81:28 mark off a set play that started with a long free kick from Riley Thomas, who lofted a pass from just over midfield to Fisher for his third goal of the season.
• The teams played a scoreless first half with UNC outshooting the Fighting Camels by a 1-0 margin.
• UNC peppered Campbell with eight second-half shots, however, and nearly scored a goal early in the period when Aldair Sanchez hit the post with his shot with just over 42 minutes remaining.
Carolina Drops ACC Opener at No. 5 Pitt, 4-0
• The fifth-ranked Pittsburgh men’s soccer team grabbed an early lead and beat No. 2 North Carolina, 4-0, in a key, early-season ACC matchup on Sept. 10 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
• The Panthers took a 3-0 lead before halftime and controlled the match’s tempo throughout most of the night.
• The game was a meeting of two of the top teams in the nation and the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division. Pitt and UNC finished first and second, respectively, in the division before both teams advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals in 2020.
• Rodrigo Almeda led all scorers with two goals for Pitt, while Veljko Petkovic had a score and two assists and Valentin Noel had a goal and an assist.
• UNC out-shot the Panthers in the game, 16-8.
Tar Heels Win at No. 22 Davidson, 3-0
• Freshman Tega Ikoba scored twice as the second-ranked Tar Heels grabbed a big road win, 3-0, at No. 22 Davidson on Sept. 6 in Davidson, N.C.
• Fifth-year senior Santiago Herrera also scored for Carolina, which improved to 3-0-1 in 2021 and picked up its first victory over a ranked opponent this Fall.
• Ikoba opened the scoring with his first career goal in the 34th minute, taking a beautiful pass from fellow freshman Ken Bellini as he streaked down the right sideline and fed Ikoba in the box for a 1-0 lead.
• That slim Tar Heel advantage held for more than the next 50 minutes of tense action between the in-state foes until Herrera gathered a loose ball in front of the net and scored at the 84:12 mark for a 2-0 lead.
• Ikoba iced the game in the 89th minute when he took a pass from Mark Winhoffer and scored to make it 3-0 at the 88:06 mark.
UNC Blanks Georgia Southern
• Carolina got a goal and an assist off the bench from both Ernest Bawa and Cameron Fisher and beat Georgia Southern, 3-0, on Sept. 3 at Dorrance Field. With the victory, the Tar Heels improved to 2-0-1 this season.
• Carolina also got an assist from freshman Ken Bellini and a goal from graduate transfer Gerit Wintermeyer.
• Bawa came off the bench and scored his team-leading third goal in the third game of the season.
• Bawa scored his third goal of the season with 2:41 remaining in the first half on a free kick. After an Eagle defender took down Jonathan Jimenez and was whistled for a foul, Bawa took the ensuing try from just outside the 18-yard box and curved it into the upper left corner of the net. Carolina out-shot the Eagles, 6-1, in the first half.
Opening Weekend Recap
• Carolina opened the 2021 regular season with two home games: a 7-0 win over Bucknell (Aug. 26) and a 1-1 tie with VCU (Aug. 29).
• UNC started the season by breezing to a 7-0 win over Bucknell, posting its highest-scoring game in five years.
• UNC scored three goals in the opening 20 minutes and led, 5-0, at halftime. Carolina scored more goals in the first half than it did in any game all season in 2020 (three on two occasions).
• The seven-goal output overall was UNC’s highest single-game figure since beating UNC Asheville, 7-0, on Oct. 11, 2016.
• Graduate transfer Chris Sullivan scored twice in his first game as a Tar Heel, while Cameron Fisher and Jonathan Jimenez each tallied a goal and an assist.
• On Sunday, Carolina got a second-half goal from Ernest Bawa and tied Virginia Commonwealth, 1-1.
• UNC out-shot VCU, 50-4, and took 17 corner kicks to the Rams’ one, but VCU keeper Mario Sequeira made 13 saves on the night.
• Carolina dominated most of the first half, out-shooting the Rams by a 19-4 margin in the opening 45 minutes, only to see VCU take a 1-0 lead on a goal by Damian Gallegos at the 40:45 mark. Six of UNC’s first-half shots were on-goal, but Sequeira made six saves before the break.
• With the shot margin standing at 37-4, UNC finally connected when Bawa tied the score at 1-all with 7:29 remaining in the second half, scoring from the right of the box into the lower left corner of the net.
Preseason Honors for Smir
• Goalkeeper Alec Smir was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason Best XI Third Team for the 2021 season.
• Smir also picked up third-team preseason All-America honors from College Soccer News.
•Smir, who earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2020 after leading the conference in shutouts with 10,
Tar Heels Picked 2nd In ACC Coastal Division
• The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2021 preseason men’s soccer poll, and the league’s coaches have picked UNC to finish second in the Coastal Division.
• Tar Heel graduate student goalkeeper Alec Smir also grabbed a spot on the ACC’s 2021 Preseason Watch List.
• The ACC’s coaches predicted Pitt to win both the Coastal Division and the overall championship. The Panthers picked up nine first-place votes for the divisional title and 64 overall points to UNC’s three votes and 58 points. Virginia Tech was third with 40 points.
• Clemson was picked to finish first in the Atlantic Division, edging second-place Wake Forest. The Tigers finished second behind PItt with three votes as the overall champion, while Carolina was third with two.
2020 Season Recap
• North Carolina (9-5-4) made its ninth appearance in the men’s NCAA College Cup in 2020, making an unexpected run to the national semifinals as an unseeded, at-large bid.
• Carolina made its seventh trip to the College Cup in the last 13 seasons.
• Along the way to the College Cup, the 16th-ranked Tar Heels advanced past No. 14 Charlotte on penalty kicks and beat both No. 5 seed Stanford and No. 4 Wake Forest.
• Tenth-ranked and eventual NCAA champion Marshall edged the Tar Heels, 1-0, in the national semifinals.
• UNC went 9-5-4 overall, including a 7-2-3 combined mark in ACC play.
• UNC went 5-2-2 against teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll, including 3-0 against top-five teams (wins over Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wake Forest).
Carlos Somoano
• Eleventh-year UNC head coach Carlos Somoano entered the 2021 season ranked fourth in the nation in winning percentage among active Division I head coaches.
• Somoano has a 141-44-31 career record, good for a program-best .725 winning percentage.
• Somoano reached the summit of collegiate soccer when he led the Tar Heels to the 2011 NCAA title, becoming just the second rookie head coach in NCAA history to win a national championship. He returned to the College Cup with his Tar Heel squad in 2016 and 2017, marking the third appearance in the sports ultimate destination under his leadership.
• Somoano has guided nine of his 10 squads to NCAA postseason play. Six of those teams reached at least the NCAA quarterfinals, and four reached the College Cup.