Oct. 27, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 9 North Carolina (12-3-1, 2-3-1 ACC) brings a three-match winning streak into Friday's top-10 showdown with No. 4 Duke (10-3-1, 3-2-1 ACC) at 8 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The game will be televised live by the Fox Soccer Channel (Time Warner Digital Cable channel 144 in the Chapel Hill area) with Sean Wheelock on play-by-play. This match could have a big impact on the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, as the Blue Devils are currently in third place at 3-2-1, while the Tar Heels are sixth at 2-3-1. With a Carolina victory, the teams would be tied at 3-3-1 heading into the final week of the regular season.

CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
• North Carolina is 12-3-1 on the season and has already eclipsed last season's win total. A win Friday would give the Tar Heels their most victories since the 2002 squad won 14. UNC's 8-1-1 record after 10 games was its best opening since the College Cup squad of 1987 started 9-1-0.
• The Tar Heels went 3-1 on their four-game road swing and wrap up the regular season against Duke and Boston College at Fetzer Field, where Carolina is 7-1 this year.
• Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell has a team-best seven goals and 18 points. Nineteen of Carolina's 27 goals this season have been scored by players that were not on last season's roster.
• Carolina has allowed just 13 goals in 15 games this season. The Tar Heels allowed six scores over a two-game stretch with Maryland and William & Mary but have responded with back-to-back shutouts versus Wake Forest and High Point.
• Carolina is building a strong NCAA Tournament resume thanks to a 5-2 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The Tar Heels are in search of a school-record seventh straight postseason bid.

CARLYLE CUP POINT ON THE LINE FRIDAY
A point towards the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between Carolina and Duke, will be on the line when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils meet Friday at Fetzer Field. Duke currently holds a 2.5-0 lead this year, having won points in women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
No. 4 Duke brings a 10-3-1 overall record and a 3-2-1 ACC mark into Friday's meeting with the Tar Heels. Last time out, the Blue Devils defeated Stony Brook, 2-1, Wednesday and topped NC State, 6-0, in their last ACC match. Duke features seven players with 10 or more points this season. Junior midfielder Chris Loftus leads the way with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. Senior midfielder Blake Camp, who scored twice Wednesday, is second with seven goals. Justin Papadakis has played the majority of the season in goal and owns a 1.19 goals against average.

SERIES WITH DUKE
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Duke, 35-32-6, and they have won three of the last five meetings. Carolina has won the last two games at Fetzer, including a dramatic 3-2 overtime win in 2003 when Wes Shull connected on a 28-yard free kick in the 109th minute of play. Last year's meeting in Durham was just as exciting, as the Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead into the half and the teams traded four goals in the final 18 minutes before Duke emerged with a 3-2 win.

LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 2, HIGH POINT 0
Freshman Brian Shriver and junior Corey Ashe provided the scoring early in the second half, and the defense allowed just one shot on goal as No. 9 North Carolina shut out High Point, 2-0, Tuesday at Albion Millis Stadium. The Tar Heels have now won three straight road games heading into Friday's home meeting with Duke. After being unable to convert against the Panthers in the first half, the Tar Heels wasted little time finding the back of the net in the second frame. Shriver, who has a goal in four of the last five games, scored on a deflection off a shot by Ashe in the 53rd minute for the eventual game-winner. Just over four minutes later, Ashe added to the lead with his first goal since the Sept. 18 win over Old Dominion. The Virginia Beach, Va., native took a feed from Dax McCarty and scored an easy breakaway goal as HPU keeper Adam Ross came out of the net at 57:37. The Tar Heel defense was dominant in its ninth shutout of the season, allowing just three shots - only one on goal - and two corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Justin Hughes got the starting nod for the third straight game and made one save in his third shutout of the season.

ROAD WARRIORS
Having won just once on the road in the first month and a half of the season, the Tar Heels faced the daunting task of a four-game road swing in late October. But after a loss at Maryland, Carolina reeled off three straight on the road and posted shutouts over Wake Forest and High Point. The win over the Deacons snapped a three-game ACC losing skid and was the Tar Heels' first ACC road win of the season. The Tar Heels closed out the regular season with a 4-2-1 mark on the road.

DEFENSE BACK TO FORM
Carolina was led by its defense for the first half of the season, allowing just seven goals in the first 12 games. But The Tar Heels surrendered nearly that many over the next two matches against Maryland and William & Mary, bu this top-notch defense has returned in the last two matches. Carolina blanked Wake Forest Oct. 22 for its first win over the Deacs since 2000 and followed with a shutout of High Point Tuesday. The Tar Heels now have nine shutouts in just 16 games this season.

HUGHES PLAYING WELL IN GOAL
Junior Justin Hughes has been in goal for each of the Tar Heels' last three matches - all wins. He owns a 0.49 goals against average in four games and has allowed just two goals - both against William & Mary. He has three shutouts this year and now has nine in his career in just 17 games played.

SHRIVER STAYS HOT
Freshman forward Brian Shriver is tied for second on the team with five goals - four of which have come over the last five matches. The Clearwater, Fla., native scored in three straight from Oct. 11-18 and returned to the back of the net with the game-winner against High Point Tuesday. Shriver has scored in three of the four games he has started this season.

ASHE REGAINS SCORING TOUCH
Junior forward Corey Ashe led the Tar Heels with nine goals a year ago and started quickly this season with four goals early in the season. But the Virginia Beach, Va., native was held scoreless for over a month before netting his fifth goal at High Point Tuesday. Three of Ashe's five scores have been game-winners against Richmond, Rutgers and No. 22 Old Dominion. A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Ashe now has 18 career goals, including eight game-winners.

CAMPBELL LEADS OFFENSIVE CHARTS
Freshman midfielder Scott Campbell leads the Tar Heels with 18 points on seven goals and four assists through 15 games this season. The Plantation, Fla., native's 18 points are the most by a Carolina freshman since Marcus Storey had 26 points (nine goals, eight assists) to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2001. Campbell's 18 points also match the most of any player last season. Four of his goals have been game-winners against Clemson, Old Dominion, South Carolina and William & Mary. Campbell has scored a goal and tallied an assist on three different occasions.

ROOKIES CONTINUE TO SHINE
Carolina freshmen have combined for 39 starts this season for head coach Elmar Bolowich. Midfielders Scott Campbell and Michael Callahan lead the way with 15 starts each, while forward Brian Shriver has started five games recently. Forward Stephen Bickford (three) and defender Tim Evans (one) have also made starts for the Tar Heels. Rated fifth nationally coming into the season by College Soccer News, the Carolina freshmen have more than lived up to their billing. Campbell leads the team with 18 points. Callahan has provided very steady midfield play so far, while Shriver has scored five goals on the season.

SCORING STARTS WITH MCCARTY
Sophomore Dax McCarty has been outstanding in the midfield this season, providing seamless transition from defense to offense for the Tar Heels. The Winter Park, Fla., product has shown steady ball control and leads the team with five assists. He also takes a majority of Carolina's corner kicks and free kicks and nailed the game-winning goal off a free kick in the Tar Heels overtime win over Elon Oct. 4. McCarty's other goal this season was the winner at VCU in the season opener.

GERMANI BACK TO ACTION
Sophomore midfielder/defender Chris Germani saw his first game action in more than a year in the win at High Point Tuesday. The Yardley, Pa., native has battled two separate knee injuries to get back to the field. He played in the Tar Heels' first six matches in 2004, starting four.

TAR HEELS BOAST TOP-NOTCH "D"
A trademark of Carolina soccer under Elmar Bolowich has been a stout defense, and this season is no different. The Tar Heels have allowed just 13 goals this season and have nine shutouts, the most since the 2003 squad notched 10.

RECENT LINEUP SHUFFLES
After playing with a very consistent lineup for much of the early season, Carolina head coach Elmar Bolowich has shuffled things of late and gone deeper into his bench with strong results. Junior goalkeeper Justin Hughes made his first start of the season against Longwood and has also played in goal in each of the last three games. Freshman forward Brian Shriver has started four of the last five games and has scored in four of the last five. Rookie Tim Evans made his first career start against the Tribe in place of Andre Sherard, who received a red card in the loss at Maryland. Junior Wes Shull has also worked his way back into the rotation and has played in the last five games.

OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
After scoring just 15 goals through the first 11 matches, the Tar Heel offense has picked up lately to the tune of 12 goals in the last five games, an average of 2.4 per outing. Carolina scored five in the win over Longwood for its highest total since 2003. After notching one at Maryland, the Tar Heels scored three at William & Mary. Carolina has scored three or more goals just three times this season, with two coming in the last five games.

TV TIME FOR TAR HEELS
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Fox Soccer Channel and 12 Division I men's soccer programs - including North Carolina - have reached an agreement to broadcast a "College Soccer Game of the Week" on Friday nights this fall The Tar Heels were on at Maryland Oct. 14 and are scheduled to be carried at home versus Duke Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The Fox Soccer Channel is channel 144 on Time Warner Digital Cable in the Triangle area.

HUNTER SCORES IN BUNCHES
Junior transfer Ben Hunter is second on the team with 14 points on five goals and four assists, but his goals have come in bunches. The Doncaster, England, native scored twice in the 2-2 tie at NC State Sept. 14 and followed nearly a month later with two goals in the Oct. 11 win over Longwood. Hunter added a goal versus William & Mary Oct. 18. The former NAIA All-America has played in all 16 games for the Tar Heels, starting 13.

TAR HEELS STEADY IN THE BACK
Carolina's backline of juniors Ted Odgers, David Boole and Michael Harrington and sophomore Andre Sherard has started 15 of 16 games for the Tar Heels this season and is one of the most veteran parts of this year's team. This group has surrendered just 13 goals in 16 games this season and has limited the opponent's scoring chances, allowing just 8.9 shots and three corner kicks per game. Odgers and Sherard man the center back positions, while Boole and Harrington moved to the outside spots for the first time this year.

FRIENDLY FETZER
Coming off a four-game road trip, Carolina is 7-1 at home this season and 319-99-24 in 58 seasons of soccer at Fetzer Field. After going just 5-4-1 at home a year ago, the Tar Heels dominance at Fetzer has returned, as they have allowed just three goals on their home turf all season. Carolina wraps up its home slate against Duke Oct. 28 and Boston College Nov. 4.

POSITION SWITCH PAYS FOR BOOLE, HARRINGTON
Juniors David Boole and Michael Harrington are playing outside back for the first time as Tar Heels, and the switch is paying immediate dividends. The pair has helped anchor a defense that has allowed just seven goals on the season and has shutouts in nine of Carolina's 16 games. The pair has also assisted on six of the Tar Heels' 27 goals so far this season. Boole assisted of three of Carolina's first four goals on the year and was named the ACC Player of the Week and was chosen for College Soccer News' and Soccer America's national teams of the week on Sept. 5. Harrington played at defender with the U.S. Under-20 National Team this summer and has made a smooth transition into that position with the Tar Heels.