The soccer program at UNC deserves way more hype than we give it.
For the extremely successful teams that it has, we don’t throw our support behind them like we do our aggressively average football team. This fall, we should dedicate our time, spirit and tailgates to the teams with a legitimate shot at a national championship.
The men’s and women’s teams both advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2016 and just missed a shot at a national championship. In the history of UNC soccer, the men have clinched two national championships, while the women’s team has brought home 22. The women’s class of 2016 was the first since the program’s establishment to graduate without a national title, and they’re back this season with a vengeance.
If you’re waiting for us to tell you about the last football national title, don’t waste your time.
We should be cheering on the teams who represent us well, both in the classroom and on the pitch. After the 2016 season, the men’s team named 14 of their players (40 percent) to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and the women’s team bolstered an impressive 16 (53 percent) to the list.
The ACC Honor Roll is reserved for varsity athletes with a 3.0 GPA or higher for the academic year. (The football team only had 24 out of 115 make the list, 21 percent).
Both teams are well-equipped for two more fantastic seasons in 2017. The men’s program proved their right to a No. 3 pre-season ranking with a decisive 6-1 win over Rutgers on Sunday. But the competition is only going to get tougher from here, with six of the Tar Heels’ ACC opposing teams ranked in the national top 10.
Similarly the women’s team won 4-2 in their Sunday match, ending USF’s unbeaten streak. This left no doubt that they deserve their preseason No. 6 spot. But this ranking will likely lead the women’s squad to be a target, as they are ranked highest of the six ACC teams in the preseason top 25.
With competition this stiff, conference play this season could easily be decided by home field advantage for both squads.
