UNC men’s soccer team shut out for third time this season
Entering the final stretch of the regular season, North Carolina’s men’s and women’s soccer teams took a step toward solid postseason positioning, while the field hockey team lost the ACC regular-season title to Duke. Meanwhile, the volleyball team hit the halfway mark of ACC play by extending its win streak to 10 games with a month to go in the season.
Field hockey: The fourth-ranked North Carolina field hockey team (13-4, 3-3 ACC) suffered its biggest setback of the season on Saturday, falling 3-0 to No. 2 Duke to cede the regular season ACC championship to the Blue Devils. The loss was the worst since 2010 for the Tar Heels, who will play Louisville as the fifth seed in the ACC tournament on Nov. 3.
UNC bounced back with the first of three nonconference games, beating Liberty 5-1 on the road this past Sunday. Gab Major and Julia Young each had a pair of goals to lead the Tar Heels. UNC will travel to Norfolk, Va., on Saturday to play Old Dominion before closing out the regular season at home against Appalachian State the following day.
Men’s soccer: The No. 3 North Carolina men’s soccer team (11-2-2, 5-1-1 ACC) was shut out for the third time this season after its Tuesday night match against the College of Charleston ended after two overtimes in a scoreless draw. UNC registered a 17-8 advantage in shots, including seven in the final ten minutes of regulation.
Goalkeeper James Pyle recorded his tenth shutout on Saturday, as UNC beat No. 23 Virginia Tech 2-0 to clinch the ACC Coastal Division. A penalty kick by David October and Tucker Hume’s team-leading fifth goal of the season led the Tar Heels. UNC will take on No. 4 Notre Dame on the road Friday.
Women’s soccer: With its margin for error smaller than its accustomed to, the No. 15 North Carolina women’s soccer (10-3-3, 5-2-2 ACC) team scored three goals in each of two games to top Pittsburgh and Syracuse on the road 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.
Freshman Bridgette Andrzejewski led the Tar Heels with a goal Thursday against Pittsburgh and two more on Sunday against Syracuse. She lead the team with nine goals on the season. Junior Megan Buckingham scored a single goal in each game to bring her season total to four.
The Tar Heels will conclude their season at home against No. 9 Florida State, a team UNC hasn’t beaten since 2011.
Volleyball: The No. 8 North Carolina volleyball team (18-2, 10-0 ACC) won its 10th straight on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Syracuse. Fifth-year senior Talor Treacy and sophomore Taylor Leath tied for the team lead with 11 kills apiece. The Tar Heels also swept Boston College 3-0 on Friday. Treacy led UNC with 15 kills.
UNC will face Virginia Tech on the road Friday and will play at Pittsburgh Sunday.
This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "UNC men’s soccer team shut out for third time this season."