By R.L. Bynum
In the first Top 20 NFHCA poll since North Carolina garnered the top preseason ranking, the Tar Heels fell to No. 2 in the poll released Tuesday but earned a weekly ACC honor.
The Tar Heels rebounded from a 3–2 Aug. 27 home overtime loss to Iowa, their first setback since 2021, to sweep a pair of games last weekend at the ACC-Ivy Challenge in Philadelphia. UNC beat Penn 4–0, then knocked off Princeton 2–1 in overtime, dropping the Tigers from No. 10 to No. 15.
The Hawkeyes (4–0) jumped six spots to No. 1, likely because of their victory in Chapel Hill over Carolina. Iowa got 35 first-place votes, with UNC garnering the second-most with nine.
Carolina senior back Romea Riccardo is the ACC Defensive Player of the Week.
UNC (3–1) doesn’t play again until it visits Old Dominion at noon Sunday before finally returning home on Friday, Sept. 15 in the Heels’ ACC opener at 3 p.m. against Louisville (4–0). The Monarchs were No. 18 in the preseason poll but fell out after losing two of their first three games. The Cardinals moved up four spots to No. 5 and earned one first-place vote.
Other ACC teams in the poll are No. 6 Virginia (3–1), No. 7 Syracuse (3–0), No. 13 Duke (2–1), No. 16 Boston College (2–2) and No. 17 Wake Forest (2–2).
Junior midfielder Lisa Sinkert leads Coach Erin Matson’s team with three goals, with freshman forward Charly Bruder and sophomore midfielder Ryleigh Heck each scoring twice.
Top 20
| Rank | Team | Record | Poll points (1st-place votes) | Previous rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | 4–0 | 902 (35) | 7 | ▲6 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 3–1 | 866 (9) | 1 | ▼1 |
| 3 | Northwestern | 2–1 | 774 (2) | 2 | ▼1 |
| 4 | Maryland | 4–1 | 721 (0) | 3 | ▼1 |
| 5 | Louisville | 4–0 | 683 (1) | 9 | ▲4 |
| 6 | Virginia | 3–1 | 630 (0) | 6 | ― |
| 7 | Syracuse | 3–0 | 609 (0) | 8 | ▲1 |
| 8 | Michigan | 2–2 | 582 (1) | 4 | ▼4 |
| 9 | Liberty | 4–0 | 506 (0) | 14 | ▲5 |
| 10 | Saint Joseph’s | 3–1 | 469 (0) | 11 | ▲1 |
| 11 | Penn State | 2–2 | 447 (0) | 5 | ▼6 |
| 12 | Rutgers | 4–0 | 391 (0) | 16 | ▲4 |
| 13 | Duke | 2–1 | 366 (0) | 20 | ▲7 |
| 14 | Harvard | 2–0 | 364 (0) | 13 | ▼1 |
| 15 | Princeton | 0–2 | 327 (0) | 10 | ▼5 |
| 16 | Boston College | 2–2 | 318 (0) | 17 | ▲1 |
| 17 | Wake Forest | 2–2 | 275 (0) | 12 | ▼5 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 5–0 | 144 (0) | — | ― |
| 19 | Delaware | 3–1 | 94 (0) | — | ― |
| 20 | Mass., Amherst | 3–1 | 78 (0) | — | ― |
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranking) | Location | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ACC/Big Ten Challenge | ||||
| 25 | Friday | W, 3–2 | No. 16 Michigan | Home | 1–0 |
| 27 | Sunday | L, 3–2 (OT) | No. 8 Iowa | Home | 1–1 |
| September | ACC/Ivy Challenge | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 4–0 | Penn | Philadelphia | 2–1 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 2–1 (OT) | Princeton | Philadelphia | 3–1 |
| —————————— | |||||
| 10 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | No. 17 Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | 4–1 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 2–0 | No. 10 Louisville | Home | 5–1, 1–0 ACC |
| 22 | Friday | W, 3–0 | Wake Forest | Winston-Salem | 6–1, 2–0 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 6–1 | Appalachian State | Home | 7–1 |
| October | |||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 4–1 | No. 13 Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia | 8–1 |
| 6 | Friday | W, 3–1 | No. 14 Boston College | Home | 9–1, 3–0 ACC |
| 8 | Sunday | L, 2–1 (OT) | No. 7 Liberty | Home | 9–2 |
| 13 | Friday | W, 4–1 | No. 11 Syracuse | Syracuse | 10–2, 4–1 ACC |
| 15 | Sunday | W, 4–3 | No. 18 Albany | Albany, N.Y. | 11–2 |
| 20 | Friday | L, 3–2 | No. 5 Virginia | Charlottesville | 11–3, 4–1 ACC |
| 27 | Friday | W, 2–1 | No. 3 Duke | Home | 12–3, 5–1 ACC |
| November | ACC tournament | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | W, 3–2 | Semifinals: No. 4 Virginia | Charlottesville | 13–3 |
| 4 | Friday | W, 2–0 | Final: No. 3 Duke | Charlottesville | 14–3 |
| NCAA tournament Link to bracket | |||||
| 10 | Friday | W, 6–1 | First round: William & Mary | Chapel Hill | 15–3 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 4–2 | Second round: No. 9 Harvard | Chapel Hill | 16–3 |
| 17 | Friday | W, 2–0 | National semifinal: No. 5 Virginia | Chapel Hill | 17–3 |
| 19 | Sunday | W, 2–1, 2 OTs (UNC wins shootout 3–2) | Championship: No. 2 Northwestern | Chapel Hill | 18–3 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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