By R.L. Bynum
Anybody who has watched North Carolina’s women’s soccer team this season knows that the Tar Heels, who fell one spot in the United Soccer Coaches national poll to No. 4, have performed as well as any team in the country defensively, and it’s showing in the weekly ACC awards.
UNC (2–0–2), which has only allowed one goal in four games, slipped in the poll after playing Wisconsin to a scoreless draw on Thursday before blowing out USC 4–0 Sunday. The Trojans moved up five spots to No. 19.
Duke fell six spots to No. 10 after losing 3–1 at home to USC before beating Wisconsin at home 2–1. Virginia, which played Michigan to a scoreless draw Thursday at home and won 4–0 at George Mason, plummeted seven spots to No. 12.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Week is a Tar Heel for the second time in as many weeks, with 5–2 senior midfielder Sam Meza earning the honor a week after the award went to freshman center back Savy King.
Meza helped UNC keep both opponents last week scoreless. Since Cal scored the only goal against Carolina this season in UNC’s 3–1 victory on Aug. 20, the Tar Heels haven’t allowed a goal in 256 minutes.
“I think it was a lot of organization, a lot of communication, and just knowing our role,” Meza said after the USC win, explaining the defensive success. “Everybody has their own role and committing to that.”
Teams sometimes have trouble coming close to the final third of the field.
“If we can stop any team, the quicker the better. Our midfield, we’re very dominant defensively, and I think that’s just instilled within us,” said Meza, one of 56 Division I players on he MAC Hermann Trophy watchlist and a Preseason All-ACC pick.
In four games this season, opponents have combined for 13 shots and only six shots on goal. Penn State is the only opponent with more than one shot on goal. The Nittany Lions, who had three shots on goal in their opening-game scoreless draw with UNC, have scored 11 goals in the three games since meeting the Tar Heels and moved up two spots in the poll this week to No. 6.
Carolina will be heavy favorites at home Thursday at 7 p.m. against Gardner-Webb (ESPN3). The Bulldogs are 1–3 and have been shut out in all three losses, including a 9–0 thrashing at Clemson.
UNC faces a much greater challenge Sunday at home against Arkansas (ACC Network), which moved up two spots to No. 8. The Razorbacks are 2–0–1 after a 2–2 draw Sunday against Notre Dame, which is dropped three spots to No. 15.
Other ACC teams in the poll are No. 2 Florida State (unchanged), No. 11 Clemson (up eight spots) and No. 21 Pittsburgh (unchanged).
Top 25
| Rank | School | Previous rank | 1st-place votes | Poll points | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 1 | 8 | 200 | 3-0-0 |
| 2 | Florida State | 2 | 0 | 192 | 2-0-0 |
| 3 | Stanford | 6 | 0 | 177 | 4-0-0 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 3 | 0 | 175 | 2-0-2 |
| 5 | Alabama | 7 | 0 | 166 | 4-0-0 |
| 6 | Penn State | 8 | 0 | 153 | 3-0-1 |
| 7 | Brigham Young | 11 | 0 | 144 | 4-0-0 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 10 | 0 | 139 | 2-0-1 |
| 8 | Santa Clara | 13 | 0 | 139 | 4-0-0 |
| 10 | Duke | 4 | 0 | 130 | 2-1-0 |
| 11 | Clemson | 19 | 0 | 119 | 3-0-1 |
| 12 | Virginia | 5 | 0 | 107 | 3-0-1 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 15 | 0 | 99 | 3-0-1 |
| 14 | Georgetown | 20 | 0 | 92 | 3-0-1 |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 12 | 0 | 79 | 2-0-2 |
| 16 | Memphis | 17 | 0 | 75 | 3-1-0 |
| 17 | Washington State | 23 | 0 | 74 | 4-0-0 |
| 18 | Texas | 9 | 0 | 57 | 3-1-0 |
| 19 | USC | 24 | 0 | 56 | 2-1-0 |
| 20 | Northwestern | RV | 0 | 41 | 3-0-1 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 21 | 0 | 40 | 4-0-0 |
| 22 | Georgia | NR | 0 | 26 | 1-1-0 |
| 23 | Saint Louis | RV | 0 | 23 | 3-1-0 |
| 24 | Gonzaga | RV | 0 | 18 | 3-1-0 |
| 25 | Xavier | 17 | 0 | 14 | 3-1-0 |
Also receiving votes: Brown (10), West Virginia (9), Southern Methodist (8), Central Florida (6), Wisconsin (6), Harvard (6), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (6), Michigan State (5), TCU (5), University of Colorado (2), Virginia Tech (1), Louisiana State (1).
| 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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