By R.L. Bynum
Carolina fell two spots to No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 women’s poll after losing Saturday night at Virginia Tech 2–1.
The Tar Heels (9–3–0, 2–2–0 ACC), were top-ranked before losing 2–1 to UCLA on Sept. 4, and the Bruins have remained No. 1 since then. Carolina lost to Virginia 3–2 on Sept. 17 and the Cavaliers (10–1–1, 3–1) remain No. 2.
The Hokies (9–2–1, 3–1–0) debuted in the poll at No. 24 after knocking off Carolina.
The Tar Heels return home to try to rebound at 7 Thursday night against No. 13 Pittsburgh (11–1–1, moved up one slot), which shares the ACC lead with No. 3 Florida State (8–0–2) at 4–0–0. The Seminoles moved up four spots in the poll after a 1–0 win over Miami.
Duke (8–3–0, 3–1–0) fell four spots to No. 7 after losing 1–0 at home Sunday to Virginia. The other ranked ACC team is No. 17 Notre Dame (9–2–0, 2–2–0; down one spot).
Top 25
| Rank | School | Previous rank | First-place votes | Poll points | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 1 | 8 | 200 | 11-0-0 |
| 2 | Virginia | 2 | 0 | 192 | 10-1-1 |
| 3 | Florida State | 7 | 0 | 181 | 8-0-2 |
| 4 | Alabama | 5 | 0 | 173 | 11-1-1 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 3 | 0 | 165 | 9-3-0 |
| 6 | Northwestern | 8 | 0 | 150 | 10-1-2 |
| 7 | Duke | 4 | 0 | 148 | 8-3-0 |
| 8 | Southern California | 20 | 0 | 133 | 7-1-1 |
| 9 | Arkansas | 12 | 0 | 128 | 8-2-1 |
| 10 | TCU | 9 | 0 | 126 | 7-2-3 |
| 10 | Rutgers | 10 | 0 | 126 | 11-1-1 |
| 12 | Saint Louis | 11 | 0 | 101 | 12-1-0 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh | 14 | 0 | 99 | 11-1-0 |
| 14 | Stanford | NR | 0 | 68 | 9-2-1 |
| 15 | Portland | 18 | 0 | 67 | 7-0-4 |
| 16 | Ohio State | NR | 0 | 62 | 8-2-2 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | 16 | 0 | 58 | 9-2-0 |
| 18 | Georgetown | 19 | 0 | 57 | 8-1-3 |
| 19 | Tennessee | NR | 0 | 56 | 7-3-1 |
| 20 | Mississippi | 13 | 0 | 50 | 9-1-2 |
| 21 | Washington State | 15 | 0 | 47 | 8-1-2 |
| 22 | Pepperdine | 17 | 0 | 42 | 7-1-2 |
| 23 | Texas | NR | 0 | 27 | 8-1-3 |
| 24 | Virginia Tech | NR | 0 | 21 | 9-2-1 |
| 25 | Harvard | 25 | 0 | 20 | 7-0-2 |
Also receiving votes: Michigan State (18), Xavier (17), Wisconsin (14), Washington (14), Penn State (13), Mississippi State (12), Oklahoma State (8), South Carolina (5), Brigham Young (2).
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ||||
| 14 | Thursday | L, 2–0 | at Tennessee | 0–1 |
| 17 | Sunday | W, 5–0 | vs. Siena | 1–1 |
| 21 | Thursday | 6:30 | at Georgia | SECN+ |
| 24 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Rice | ACCNE |
| 28 | Thursday | 4 p.m. | vs. UNCG | ACCNE |
| 31 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Wisc.-Milwaukee | |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Alabama | |
| 7 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. James Madison | |
| 11 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | |
| 17 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ACCN |
| 25 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | At Notre Dame | ACCN |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCN |
| 5 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | |
| 12 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ESPNU |
| 17 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at SMU | |
| 23 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | |
| 26 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | |
| 30 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. N.C. State | ACCN |
| November | ACC tournament | |||
| 2 | Sunday | First round: Campus sites | ||
| 6, 9 | Thurs., Sun. | W, 2–1 | Semifinals, final: Cary | |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | First round Campus sites | ||
| December | Women’s College Cup | |||
| 5, 8 | Fri., Mon. | CPKC Stadium Kansas City |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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