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(02/11/08 5:00am)
Months after speculation that Butch Davis might bolt Chapel Hill to become the coach for Arkansas" North Carolina finally saw someone from the football coaching staff jump ship.Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano resigned Monday morning to take a position with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens - the third different National Football League team he will have coached.""I appreciate everything Chuck did to help us improve our defense last season" Tar Heel head coach Butch Davis said in a released statement. He has a great opportunity to return to the NFL" and I wish him the best.""With Pagano at the helm in 2007" UNC's defensive unit showed marked improvement after a 2006 season that saw the Tar Heels ranked 92nd in total defense (368.3 yards allowed per game). This season the Tar Heels improved to 35th (349.8).Pagano's landing in Chapel Hill reunited him with Davis for whom he served as defensive coordinator at Miami from 1995 to 2000 and defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2004.Pagano's new position in Baltimore will reunite him with former pupils Ray Lewis and Ed Reed whom he coached at Miami.Pagano-led secondaries regularly set the standard in the League. In 2003 Cleveland led the NFL in interceptions with 33 - 28 of which came from Pagano's defensive backs. After Davis' departure from Cleveland in 2004 Pagano sought new employment. And it didn't take long for him to find it as he was named the Oakland Raiders' defensive backs coach where he served from 2005 to 2006.In his final season in Oakland the Raiders allowed an NFL-best 150.8 yards per game through the air.His specific role on the Ravens' staff has not been announced but history suggests that he will be involved with defensive backs.As far as filling the void Pagano left at UNC" Davis said there is no timetable for naming a replacement.""Finding someone who is the right fit with our staff and players is my top priority.""Contact the Sports Editorat sports@unc.edu.
(02/11/08 5:00am)
UNC defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano resigned Monday to become an assistant coach for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens next season under new head coach John Harbaugh.""I appreciate everything Chuck did to help us improve our defense last season" head coach Butch Davis said. He has a great opportunity to return to the NFL" and I wish him the best.""Pagano was Davis' defensive coordinator at Miami from 1995-2000 and served as his defensive backs coach in the Cleveland Browns' organization from 2001 to 2004.In 2003 Cleveland led the NFL in interceptions with 33" 28 of which came from the secondary.After Davis' departure from Cleveland Pagano too was seeking new employment. And it didn't take long for him to find it as he was named to the same position for the Oakland Raiders where he served from 2005-2006.Davis brought Pagano to his staff at UNC when he was hired last season. UNC recorded 11 interceptions last season four more than the previous season.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/11/08 5:00am)
RALEIGH - Heading into its match against N.C. State on Friday the North Carolina wrestling team had alternated wins and losses in its last four conference contests the most recent a win against Virginia Tech.But the Tar Heels (8-5 3-2 ACC) put a stop to the pattern in Reynolds Coliseum dominating the Wolfpack (8-8-1" 1-2) in the early matches and coming out with a 24-18 victory.""It's always great to beat State" UNC coach C.D. Mock said. They embarrassed us here last year. They embarrassed us I think" at the ACC Tournament. Our guys were fired up tonight.""The match got off to a late start" with the first contest commencing 25 minutes after the scheduled time. But when it finally began the Tar Heels didn't delay in taking it to their rival.After an 8-2 win from redshirt freshman Thomas Scotton put the Tar Heels up 3-0 early UNC's star 165-pounder Keegan Mueller continued his stellar streak of wins. Mueller earned his second pin of the season smothering N.C. State's Jalil Dozier one minute and 13 seconds into the second round. Mueller a transfer from Ohio State reveled in the atmosphere in Raleigh" comparing it to that of the crowd at Buckeye matches against Michigan.""It's so much fun to come here because they have a real good crowd" Mueller said. Nobody likes name calling or whatever" but it's kind of fun because (the fans) are so intense.""Seizing the momentum from the Mueller pin"" Tar Heel wrestlers won the next four matches in building a 24-0 lead. Included in the four were three straight major decisions.""The difference between wrestling and team sports is there's momentum" but you can't take a timeout and try to change it" Mock said. The kids have to change the momentum.""N.C. State's last four wrestlers were able to do just that - just not well enough. After a forfeit in the 125-pound weight class got the Wolfpack on the board" N.C. State hit the strength of its lineup. But despite having two top-10 ranked wrestlers left to go the Wolfpack was not able to get the three pins it needed to tie UNC leaving the Tar Heels with the six-point victory.Even after a rivalry match though" the Tar Heels have bigger things on their minds.""We don't care about N.C. State" Virginia Virginia Tech - all those individual wins and losses" Mueller said. We want to win the ACC Tournament.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/14/08 5:00am)
A tough ACC-opening loss Sunday at Carmichael Auditorium left the North Carolina wrestling team with something to prove. Unfortunately for Belmont Abbey, the Tar Heels proved it all over the Crusaders.
After building an eight-point lead against No. 21 Maryland, UNC couldn't quite hold on against the Terrapins, losing 19-17 before rebounding against Belmont Abbey 48-0.
When UNC junior 165-pounder Keegan Mueller took a major decision from Maryland's Mike McGill - the fourth win for North Carolina (4-3, 0-1 ACC) in the first six matches - the Tar Heels led 14-6. But with the Terps' putting up three-straight nationally ranked wrestlers, UNC had a tough row to hoe if it hoped to open the ACC season with a win.
"We knew it was going to be tough," UNC assistant coach A.J. Grant said. "We know that we're tough in the lower weights and they're tough on top."
Maryland (9-3, 1-0) proved to be just that.
Going up against two North Carolina freshmen, UM's combination of seventh-ranked 174-pounder Mike Letts and No. 18 184-pounder Josh Haines earned two straight wins, including a major decision from Letts, to pull within one point of the Tar Heels at 14-13 with two matches remaining.
And the Maryland onslaught didn't stop there. The Terrapins got a pin from eighth-ranked 197-pounder Hudson Taylor with 0:29 remaining against a familiar opponent, UNC's Dennis Drury.
"They've been going back and forth for years," Grant said. "They wrestled each other in high school and everything else."
The pin gave Maryland a 19-14 lead it would not relinquish as Tar Heel junior heavyweight Justin Dobies could not score either a technical fall or a pin in his match against Patrick Gilmore.
Early in the first round, Dobies took Gilmore down and nearly earned the pin, sending the UNC crowd into a frenzy. But the Terps' heavyweight managed to escape Dobies' grasp.
"I got the highcrotch and took him down," Dobies said. "But unfortunately he rolled a little too far."
For the rest of the match, Dobies couldn't get another opportunity as good as the initial takedown and did not win by a large enough margin to give UNC the win.
With less than half an hour between the match with Maryland and a showdown with Division-II opponent Belmont Abbey (2-1), the Tar Heels had little time to get the tough loss out of their minds - which provided ample motivation for the next bout.
"Coming off of a loss to an ACC team and wrestling somebody that you know in your heart you can beat, you try to put a little smackdown on 'em," Grant said.
And that is just what the Tar Heels did, picking up three pins and two technical falls en route to a 48-0 thrashing of the Crusaders, UNC's largest team victory since 1998.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/19/07 5:00am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For seven members of the North Carolina field hockey team, the scoreboard at the University of Maryland Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Sunday wasn't just counting down to a national championship.
When the clock hit all zeros, the UNC seniors saw their collegiate careers come to an end.
Although they will forever be linked together in Tar Heel lore, seniors Laree Beans, Rachel Dawson, Xan Funk, Jesse Gey, Heather Kendell, Liz Morris and Alli Tanner know that for the first time in four years - five years for five of them - they will never again be on the field together as Tar Heels.
But while they were together, they did something only four other teams in NCAA Division 1 history have done by going undefeated this season.
"It's a dream come true," Tanner said. "It's what we all came to Carolina for and to end it with a group like this is just awesome."
The senior class offers a trio of local products, a second-generation Tar Heel and a World Cup competitor. But in the UNC record books, they will always be known as one thing - champions.
"I couldn't be prouder of the seven seniors that led the way," head coach Karen Shelton said. "To have them lead the team that becomes the national championship team is a great treat for me as a coach."
At the head of the class this season for UNC was Dawson, who after taking last season off to represent the United States in the World Cup, tallied a team-high 19 goals, including UNC's second score of the championship game.
And Dawson, whom Gey has referred to as the "team general," couldn't be happier with her decision to return to Chapel Hill.
"It's really priceless," she said. "When we came in here we thought maybe we'd win more than one. But this one has been so valuable."
If Dawson was the general of the team, Gey was without doubt her first lieutenant.
She led the team with 44 points, thanks to 12 goals and 20 assists, ranking second on the team in both categories.
With Dawson and Gey at her side Sunday, Shelton couldn't help but be amazed.
"These two right here are two of the best I've ever coached, I think two of the best to ever represent the University of North Carolina," she said.
Headed by Gey and Dawson, four of this year's seniors finished in the top eight Heels in scoring. Among them were Beans, who was fourth on the team with 10 goals, and Tanner, who registered seven goals and a career-high three assists.
"This year I think we were more confident with everyone that we had on the team with our experience," Tanner said.
Beans redshirted the 2006 campaign, setting up the chance for her to finish her career with the teammates with whom she came to Chapel Hill.
"I knew for me it was better if I stayed," Beans said. "It was a hard year ... but it was definitely worth it."
Two of the seniors spent more than just their collegiate careers together. Before coming to UNC, Morris and Kendell played together at East Chapel Hill High School, where they won back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002.
Even before they were teammates, they were something much more - best friends.
"We walked to school together every day," Morris recalled.
And with their careers together now over, the two hometown Tar Heels know that their friendship is not.
"I think we'll always have a special bond," Kendell said. "I think we'll always have that connection and always stay in touch."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/16/07 5:00am)
This season the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team read John C. Maxwell's book, "Talent is Never Enough," finishing it this week before heading to College Park, Md., for the Final Four.
There the Tar Heels will be working on closing the book on this season with a national championship.
UNC plays fourth-ranked Connecticut in the national semi-final at 5 p.m. today, and if it wins, will face the winner of the other semifinal between No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 9 Penn State.
For UNC, it hasn't been an easy road to get to here, especially for the team's seven seniors making their first Final Four appearance.
"We almost felt like we had a little bit of a hoax against us, like we just weren't meant to, like our senior class just was never meant to go to the final four," senior Rachel Dawson said. "And I think just overcoming that and just going is so exciting for us."
And in the quarterfinals Sunday, it looked as though that hoax might continue, but a late goal from James Madison was disallowed because it was shot from just outside the circle, preserving a 1-0 win that propelled UNC to its 13th Final Four and its first since 2000.
Hoax or not, this year's senior class has gained priceless experience in four years at UNC.
"I think that what actually got us to this point is our senior leadership and all the experiences that we have had," senior Jesse Gey said. "Maybe it just took us maturing to this level that got us there."
Gey and Dawson joined senior Laree Beans and freshman Katelyn Falgowski on the 16-member All-South Region first team.
Gey, who lost two teeth after taking a stick to the face in the ACC Championship, hasn't changed her approach to the game since the injury and is hoping to finish off her Tar Heel career with a bang.
"A lot of people thought I might play scared," she said. "But now I only have a weekend left, so whatever happens, happens. I'm going to get new teeth out of it. I can't do anything about it now."
Now that the top-seeded Tar Heels have gotten over the hump, maturity will play a key role in this weekend's outcome.
"I think that we're the best team in the country," head coach Karen Shelton said. "I know that we are. If we played a best-of-seven series, I'm confident we would win. But we know that the sport is funny."
With the ultimate goal of a national championship, Shelton said the Tar Heels need to focus on the process, while not thinking about the outcome.
"I think the mistake would be to feel that the only way we could have a successful year is to win the national championship," she said.
But while the season might already be a successful one, the Tar Heels want to take it one step further as they seek perfection.
"We've earned the spot to be in the Final Four now," Falgowski said.
"I think that just says a lot. It takes pressure off, and now we can just go out there and have fun and play and hopefully do well."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/16/07 5:00am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With a 4-2 win against No. 4 Connecticut Friday, the North Carolina field hockey team has advanced to the national championship game, where it will face Penn State - the team that knocked UNC out of the NCAA Tournament last season - at noon Sunday.
For 34 of the first 36 minutes of the game against UConn, the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team dominated its opponent, building a 3-0 lead with goals from sophomore Illse Davids, sophomore Danielle Forword and junior Britt van Beek.
But like UNC head coach Karen Shelton has said, it's a funny sport, and a team can outplay an opponent for most of the game, but one or two plays later it can be a totally different game - and that happened Friday.
Trailing 3-0 with less than a minute left in the first half, the Huskies got on the board, as UConn's Nikki Harmony intercepted a pass from UNC's Melanie Brill and sent the ball past goalkeeper Brianna O'Donnell for the Huskies' first goal.
"We deserve to give up a goal when we make a pass like that at the end of the (half)," Shelton said. "It was just a bad decision. But I told Mel at halftime, we're sticking with her."
The goal gave the Huskies the momentum going into halftime, an edge they took advantage of.
Connecticut seemingly didn't miss a beat beginning the second half, as they scored another goal 17 seconds into the period, shrinking UNC's lead to a single goal.
But with the game on the line, the Tar Heels slowly retook the momentum, keeping control of the ball for most of the remainder of the game.
"We have the best defense in the country," Forword said. "That was always something that we build off, going all the way from the backs to the forwards."
And with 13:03 remaining in the game, Forword dribbled down the endline, through and around multiple UConn defenders, before shooting the ball past Huskie goalie Andrea Mainiero, giving UNC a two-goal lead that it would hold onto for the rest of the game.
"I use that play a lot," Forword said. "It hasn't been working much this season, so I was saving it for this game."
Now the Tar Heels are heading to the national championship game for the first time since 2000, when they lost to Old Dominion 3-1 in the title game. The win would secure the program's fifth NCAA championship.
"It's a really good feeling," senior Rachel Dawson said. "I've never been to a final four . or to a final game, obviously."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/30/07 4:00am)
After a quick glance at the season statistics for the North Carolina field hockey team, it's not hard to see how it finished the regular season undefeated.
Look again, and it's difficult to see how they have any weaknesses at all.
The No. 1 Tar Heels (18-0) have scored 83 goals on the season, while only surrendering nine. In fact, UNC opponents have taken just 73 shots this season, 340 fewer than the Tar Heels' 413 attempts.
UNC, the lone remaining undefeated team in the country, leads the nation in goals scored, goals allowed, scoring margin and shutouts.
"Statistically we're doing well," head coach Karen Shelton said. "But as I like to tell the kids, now we're in a second season. Everybody's 0-0."
With its win against No. 10 Old Dominion on Saturday, this year's squad became only the second team in UNC field hockey history to finish the regular season undefeated, joining the 1995 Tar Heels, who went on to win the ACC and NCAA titles.
But this team has something the '95 unit did not. Depth.
And the 2007 Tar Heels have taken full advantage of that, as 24 different players have played, with 14 picking up goals. To compare, the 1995 team had 16 players on its roster, two of whom redshirted.
Of the Tar Heels' top five goal-scorers, four are seniors - Rachel Dawson, Jesse Gey, Laree Beans and Alli Tanner have accounted for 43 goals this season.
"The bottom line is the seniors are leading the way," Shelton said.
Beans said a national title would be a great way for the seniors to finish their UNC campaigns, but right now it's the last thing on her mind.
"I try not to think about it too much," she said. "It'll drive you crazy."
After a slightly slower start to the season on the defensive side of the ball - UNC allowed at least one goal in each of its first five games - a refocus on defense led to an ACC-record-tying nine straight shutouts.
"We really recognized individual defense," Beans said. "Being solid was a focus of ours. We're still striving to have a good strong defense, still looking to get better."
Two late goals surrendered in a 4-2 win against William & Mary on Oct. 12 were the only scores UNC surrendered after Sept. 8.
The Tar Heels earned the No. 1 seed in this weekend's ACC Tournament in Newton, Mass., garnering a bye into the semi-final round where they await the winner of Boston College vs. Virginia.
Should the Heels win, there is a strong possibility they would play national No. 2 Maryland or No. 3 Wake Forest in the final game.
But even with a "new season" beginning, Shelton said little, if anything, will change as far as preparation goes.
"I like to stay in a routine," Shelton said. "I feel like its important for our kids to feel like they're prepared. They've felt like that all season."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/25/07 4:00am)
After almost two weeks off, the North Carolina women's golf team heads back to the links Friday for the Landfall Tradition, hosted by UNC-Wilmington.
And with less than stellar performances becoming a theme for the No. 28 Tar Heels this season, the downtime has been appreciated.
"It's fair to say we've been disappointed in how we've played so far because we know what we're capable of," head coach Sally Austin said.
"Everybody likes to be home every now and then. After being on the road, it's good to be home for a little bit."
The field at the Tradition is led by the 12th-ranked Boilermakers of Purdue and includes three of UNC's conference foes, including top-25 teams No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 25 Virginia.
"We know who's there, we know how good they are," Austin said. "We feel like we're a top-20 team, and we've got one more chance to go out there and prove it. We just want to go out and play good golf."
In UNC's last action, the Tar Heels finished 13th at the Mercedes-Benz Women's Championship in Knoxville, Tenn., a tournament that was marked by steady improvement throughout the weekend.
After firing a first-round 305, good for 16th place, UNC improved by six strokes on each of the next two days to pick up three spots.
So far this season, the Tar Heels have been led by junior Lauren Hunt and sophomore Kate Thomas. Thomas leads the team in rounds at par or under with three, while Hunt has a one-shot edge in total strokes.
"Kate and I both push each other to be at the top," Hunt said. "It's good to have that level of competition."
Contact the Sports Editor at sport@unc.edu
(10/25/07 4:00am)
After almost two weeks off, the North Carolina women's golf team heads back to the links Friday for the Landfall Tradition, hosted by UNC-Wilmington.
And with less than stellar performances becoming a theme for the No. 28 Tar Heels this season, the downtime has been appreciated.
"It's fair to say we've been disappointed in how we've played so far because we know what we're capable of," head coach Sally Austin said.
"Everybody likes to be home every now and then. After being on the road, it's good to be home for a little bit."
The field at the Tradition is led by the 12th-ranked Boilermakers of Purdue and includes three of UNC's conference foes, including top-25 teams No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 25 Virginia.
"We know who's there, we know how good they are," Austin said. "We feel like we're a top-20 team, and we've got one more chance to go out there and prove it. We just want to go out and play good golf."
In UNC's last action, the Tar Heels finished 13th at the Mercedes-Benz Women's Championship in Knoxville, Tenn., a tournament that was marked by steady improvement throughout the weekend.
After firing a first-round 305, good for 16th place, UNC improved by six strokes on each of the next two days to pick up three spots.
So far this season, the Tar Heels have been led by junior Lauren Hunt and sophomore Kate Thomas. Thomas leads the team in rounds at par or under with three, while Hunt has a one-shot edge in total strokes.
"Kate and I both push each other to be at the top," Hunt said. "It's good to have that level of competition."
Contact the Sports Editor at sport@unc.edu
(10/24/07 4:00am)
After almost two weeks off, the North Carolina women's golf team heads back to the links Friday for the Landfall Tradition, hosted by UNC-Wilmington.
And with less than stellar performances becoming a theme for the No. 28 Tar Heels this season, the downtime has been appreciated.
"It's fair to say we've been disappointed in how we've played so far because we know what we're capable of," head coach Sally Austin said.
"Everybody likes to be home every now and then. After being on the road, it's good to be home for a little bit."
The field at the Tradition is led by the 12th-ranked Boilermakers of Purdue and includes three of UNC's conference foes, including top-25 teams No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 25 Virginia.
"We know who's there, we know how good they are," Austin said. "We feel like we're a top-20 team, and we've got one more chance to go out there and prove it. We just want to go out and play good golf."
In UNC's last action, the Tar Heels finished 13th at the Mercedes-Benz Women's Championship in Knoxville, Tenn., a tournament that was marked by steady improvement throughout the weekend.
After firing a first-round 305, good for 16th place, UNC improved by six strokes on each of the next two days to pick up three spots.
So far this season, the Tar Heels have been led by junior Lauren Hunt and sophomore Kate Thomas. Thomas leads the team in rounds at par or under with three, while Hunt has a one-shot edge in total strokes.
"Kate and I both push each other to be at the top," Hunt said. "It's good to have that level of competition."
Contacts the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(09/24/07 4:00am)
With less than 30 seconds left to play in the first half against No. 13 Duke on Saturday, the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team got exactly what it needed.
Senior Jesse Gey scored her eighth goal of the season, breaking a scoreless tie and sending UNC to the locker room with a 1-0 lead and the momentum.
"I've been on the other end of those kinds of goals," head coach Karen Shelton said. "And they don't feel good."
The goal marked the sixth time that Gey has scored UNC's first goal. And like all of the others, this goal put the Tar Heels ahead for good, as they took Duke down 5-0.
But Gey was quick to credit the team for her individual success.
"I get a lot of good passes in the center of the field," she said. "My teammates set me up really well."
With sweltering heat returning to Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels took advantage of one of their greatest strengths - seemingly unequaled depth.
"When I heard it was going to be in the high 80s, 90 degrees today, I thought that was going to play into our hands," Shelton said.
"We can play a lot of players and throw fresh legs in there, and I think it was a matter of kind of wearing Duke down today."
But the Blue Devils didn't just roll over - they had done their research.
Duke played the entire game in a man-to-man defense, something the Tar Heels hadn't seen all year. And it worked . for a bit.
"I think it took us a little while to adjust to that," Shelton said. "To their credit, they watched us on videotape, and they came up with a plan that they thought would give us their best shot. And I think that they did."
But North Carolina was just too much for the Blue Devils. With 25:56 remaining in the second half, senior Alli Tanner put the Tar Heels on top 2-0 with her third goal of the season.
That goal was quickly followed by another North Carolina goal from senior Laree Beans that broke the game wide open.
After dominating Duke for nearly a quarter century, UNC had lost five of the last seven contests with their ACC foe. But with the win, North Carolina has won two straight against the Blue Devils - the team's first such streak since it won three in a row from 2002-03.
"It's sweet to beat Duke anytime," Shelton said. "But I do feel like they'd had the better of us."
The Blue Devils were able to get off six more shots than North Carolina's last two opponents combined. Unfortunately for Duke, that meant they only took six shots.
"It's like, 'Oh my God, I haven't faced any shots in like three games. Can I do it? Oh my God, what if I mess up?'" sophomore UNC goalkeeper Brianna O'Donnell said. "But I guess you just got to stay chill about it and know that you're capable."
And O'Donnell - along with backup goalie Jackie Kintzer - proved more than capable, as UNC registered its fifth straight shutout.
The Tar Heels go on the road for two games this week, including a rematch with ACC foe Wake Forest - a team that UNC defeated 2-1 in overtime in Chapel Hill on Aug. 31.
But O'Donnell said UNC is ready to make the best of the road trip.
"As much fun as it is to play at home with the crowd and the atmosphere, it's the same game wherever you go."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/21/07 4:00am)
Neither a soaked field nor a determined opposing goalkeeper could stop the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team Thursday night.
UNC scored six goals in the first half from five different players against Appalachian State en route to a 7-0 win - North Carolina's ninth of the season in as many opportunities.
"We got to play a lot of people and score a lot of goals," head coach Karen Shelton said. "It was a fun game for us."
And it could have been much worse for the Mountaineers, if not for an impressive effort by sophomore goalie Denise Adams.
UNC put 26 shots on goal in the game, but Adams stopped 19 of them - six more than any other opponent this season.
"We've got to be ready to face top goalkeepers," Shelton said. "I think it's good for our team to know that we can shoot, shoot, shoot, and the goalkeeper can save, but we don't back off. We just keep at it and eventually it will fall."
Freshman Katelyn Falgowski put the Heels on the board with her first career goal less than four minutes in. Falgowski finished the game with two goals and two assists.
"It just feels really good to finally get one under the belt," she said. "We've had already eight or 10 games. It just feels good to get that out of the way."
And the goals kept pouring in. With 27:06 remaining in the first half, reigning ACC Player of the Week Jesse Gey connected on her seventh goal of the season to give the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead.
UNC capped off the first half with a goal by sophomore Melanie Brill with only six seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a 6-0 lead.
For the second straight game, the Tar Heel defense did not allow a shot on goal.
UNC's solid defense and consistent offensive attack allowed backup goalkeeper Jackie Kintzer to see action for the seventh time this season.
"We want to defend to win - not play conservatively and not fall back, but defend really well," Shelton said. "If we do that, we're going to have possession of the ball on attack a lot more."
UNC had 10 penalty corners on the night, but thanks to several athletic saves by Adams, only converted on one of them.
The Tar Heels host ACC rival No. 13 Duke at 1 p.m. Saturday, beginning a four-game stretch in which they will face three conference opponents.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/17/07 4:00am)
It's really hard to lose a game when the other team doesn't score. And in the case of the undefeated No. 1 UNC field hockey team, not allowing a single shot helps the cause even more.
That is just what the Tar Heels did against No. 7 Penn State on Sunday, in effect giving sophomore UNC goalkeeper Brianna O'Donnell an afternoon off, as the Tar Heels defeated the Nittany Lions 6-0.
"It gets a little boring, but I just try to communicate a lot to keep my defense in order," O'Donnell said. "I shouldn't be facing any shots as long as I keep them in order."
Indicative of UNC's domination this season, redshirt freshman back-up goalkeeper Jackie Kintzer saw action for the sixth time this season, replacing O'Donnell with 16:45 remaining.
For the weekend, UNC allowed only one shot in two games - the lone attempt coming off the stick of Old Dominion's Titia Beek on Friday, but missing the net entirely.
"Coming into the weekend, the coaches really said it's important for us to step up our defensive intensity and just maintaining our structure and really being disciplined as a defensive unit and a defensive team," senior midfielder and back Rachel Dawson said.
Dawson scored three goals Sunday - all coming on penalty corners.
Before the two shutout victories this weekend, UNC opponents had registered 34 shots, including 20 shots on goal in six games.
But an increased focus in practice on eliminating the opponents' chances led to the Tar Heels' two most dominating wins of the season, both coming against teams that defeated UNC twice last season.
"We gave up some cheap goals early on in our first four games," head coach Karen Shelton said. "We've been giving up goals in just about every game and we decided that that's enough. We don't want to give those up."
And the Tar Heels are expecting much of the same in the coming weeks.
"We're capable of not allowing any shots at all, any game," she said. "I think it has to do with focus. It's a 70-minute game, and when you have huge periods of time where there's nothing coming down at you, even, you kind of lose focus. It's like a habit."
One particular defensive situation that the Tar Heels emphasized was penalty corners. And it paid off, as UNC stopped the Nittany Lions on all five of their opportunities.
"We've been working on our defensive corner breakout and it's been getting better every single game," O'Donnell said. "It's an awesome feeling to just take it away from them right away."
But finding other areas in which to improve can become problematic with a team that is dominating opponents the way UNC did this weekend.
"The potential negative is that we could get too full of ourselves," Shelton said. "That's the danger - that our kids are going to say, 'Oh, we're so great. We shut out these teams.'
"And that's our challenge, to keep them all fit, keep them all hungry keep them all focused. And we're going to do our best to do that."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/28/07 4:00am)
The Tar Heel men's golf team finished a respectable 21st in the NCAA Championships last June.
And after losing only one regular, experience will carry the squad this season.
But 10-year head coach John Inman said experience is only one of his team's strengths this year.
"I think we just have a lot of consistency in the lineup," he said.
The Heels have already begun a regular fall practice schedule.
Elder statesman of the group, fifth-year senior Reed Darsie, brings back the men's best per-round average (73.97) and is a leading candidate to fill the void left by the graduated Martin Ureta.
In 2006-07 Ureta accounted for more than a third of the team's rounds under par, finishing in red figures 16 times last season, including a team-high six rounds in the 60s.
But Inman said Darsie and fellow senior Barden Berry are set to take over leadership responsibilities.
"Reed and Barden will both be seniors this year," Inman noted. "We expect them to kind of shoulder that mantle."
Darsie and Berry combined for 10 rounds under par in 2006-07, including six days in the 60s between them.
Berry said he believes the whole team will need to step up, emphasizing the importance of play from the senior class.
"I think it will definitely be a whole team effort," he said.
"It's going to be difficult, losing an All-America senior like Martin. But with Reed and I being seniors, as well as Josh Moore, we hope to fill in for that leadership position."
Berry also said the team has high hopes for the season.
"We're going to win the ACC and win the NCAAs," he said. "That's our goal every season."
And Berry said he believes this team has the potential to do just that.
"I think we are going to have a very solid team," he said.
"Hopefully we can get our team to peak during post-season play."
Even with a wealth of experience, Inman said the team could see an immediate impact from an impressive freshman class.
Homegrown Tar Heels Henry Zaytoun and Kevin O'Connell join New Jersey native Matt Raudenbush as the fresh faces on the links this season.
"They're all outstanding players," he said. "They have a chance to play right away if they come in and play well."
Inman also said he believes his team will see several high-quality courses this fall, even without an international trip like last year's visit to St. Andrews in Scotland
"I think that we just have all solid tournaments, just like we've had in the past," he said.
"We're going to play a great golf course at VCU (and) the Ridges - which is always on our schedule."
The Tar Heels will also have the opportunity to play at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, which hosted a PGA tournament this year.
UNC will play four tournaments this fall before packing up the clubs until March, when the stretch run toward ACC and NCAA titles begins.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/21/07 4:00am)
One of Chapel Hill's staple franchises has expanded across county lines.
The Carolina Brewery, which has served Chapel Hill at 460 W. Franklin St., since 1995, opened a new location Aug. 6 in Pittsboro at the intersection of the U.S. Highway 64 bypass and U.S. Highway 15-501.
Brewery owner and operator Robert Poitras said business has not disappointed him in the first two weeks.
"The response to our concept has been really strong down here," he said.
And after the brewery's first full day of operation Monday - the brewery previously was open for dinner only - business is expected to pick up, Poitras said.
The menu at the new location is identical to that of its sister site, but the brewery in Pittsboro offers certain aspects the Franklin Street location does not.
Poitras said he wanted to do more with the Pittsboro brewery, so he gave it a next-door neighbor.
The Hopshop, which is a retail space that sells coffee, biscuits and wine by the bottle, sits next to the brewery.
Poitras said he and his wife came up with the idea because they want to accommodate customers who are on the run.
"It's for people who want to grab a quick sandwich or something who don't have time for the restaurant," Poitras said.
Because the Hopshop also sells brewery merchandise - a task left to the bar at the Chapel Hill location - Poitras said it helps ease traffic at the bar.
Customers can stop by the Hopshop to buy Carolina Brewery T-shirts.
"We think it's a complementary concept to the brewery, and it helps us operationally," he said.
Another aspect of the Pittsboro brewery is its use of a local resource: Chatham County artists. The walls of the dining area are covered with local artwork.
"Chatham County is so rich with well-known artists," Poitras said. "We thought it would be a great way to show their works and partner with them and the community."
The brewery also hosted an art reception featuring Chatham County artists Monday.
The Chatham Artists Guild had several members contribute art and participate in the show.
Guild member Vidabeth Bensen, a screen printer who has participated in many similar group shows in the past, said she believes the art brings a certain feel to the dining area.
"I think that it certainly makes it more inviting for the customers," she said.
Though the dining area encourages a more refined experience, Poitras said the bar is still a bar.
"You kind of get two different elements," he said.
"The bar and brewery side has a lot of logos and TVs. On the other side we have a quieter local artwork dining area."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/21/07 4:00am)
Downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro continue to grow and evolve.
And with the arrival of several new businesses, this summer was no exception.
Stocking the pantry
The Harris Teeter on Raleigh Road closed Aug. 1, but three Harris Teeter locations still operate within three miles of the spot.
All 36 employees from the closed location were offered and have accepted positions at other stores, said Paul Marsocci, former manager of the Raleigh Road location. Marsocci now holds the same position at the store on Chatham Downs Drive.
(06/28/07 4:00am)
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools school board will have at least one new face next term, with the possibility of as many as four rookie board members taking the plunge.
Current board members Jamezetta Bedford, Elizabeth Carter, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater are up for election in November.
So far, only Carter has made it official that she will not be running.
Tuesday, Stephanie Knott, assistant to the superintendent for community relations, and board member Lisa Stuckey co-hosted a lunch meeting for residents interested in potentially running for a seat on the board.
Knott and Stuckey discussed campaign issues, the board's Web site and time management, among other topics.
Stuckey emphasized that, although most board members work at least part-time outside of the school system, the demands of the job are not minimal.
"The time commitment goes substantially beyond the second and fourth Thursdays of each month," she said. "It waxes and it wanes, but it doesn't wane a lot."
Four community members attended, all of whom have children in the school system.
Each of the potential candidates discussed issues that he or she believes the board should take into consideration.
Shari Rivera Sharp, 43, who is originally from California and relatively new to the area, said she believes diversity is on the rise in the community and steps need to be taken to accommodate multiple demographics.
Grant Steen, 52, has not decided whether or not to run, but said he feels schools are "under attack."
Gary Wallach, 64, who has acted as the mascot for Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, the school his daughter attends, also has not made a final decision.
But Wallach said he feels issues that need to be tackled include treatment of exceptional children and equatability among schools.
Elizabeth Crabill, 40 said the time commitment could prevent her from running, but she feels that budget, redistricting and growth issues need to be looked at on a more long-term scale.
Although only four residents attended the meeting, Stuckey said she does not see a four-candidates-for-four-spots race.
"In my memory, there has been no school board election that has been uncontested," she said.
Those interested in running for school board must file with the Orange County Board of Elections in Hillsborough from July 6 until July 20. The filing fee is five dollars.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/07 4:00am)
It has been a fruitful year for what UNC law professor and former Chapel Hill Mayor Ken Broun has called the "most important project in Orange County since the University was founded."
The plan for Carolina North, UNC's proposed satellite campus, progressed from general concepts to a more concrete plan.
The campus will replace Horace Williams Airport.
But several town and University officials said there is still much work to be done for construction to begin in 2009 as planned.
"There are lots of tough decisions to be made yet," Broun said. "But I think people are feeling very positive."
The Leadership Advisory Committee finished its work in January when it presented a list of guiding principles to Chancellor James Moeser. The committee, made up of University, town and county officials, was created in March 2006 to develop the guidelines.
These principles, which include ways the campus could approach transportation, housing and environmental issues, will be used by the University as it develops its final plans for the campus.
But Barry Jacobs, vice chairman of the board of commissioners, who also served on the LAC, said he is not sure how strictly the principles will be followed in developing the plan.
"That was one of our questions right from the beginning," he said. "What will come of all this?"
Carolina North Executive Director Jack Evans said that the University will follow the guidelines when possible and that it was vital for the committee to finish its work early.
"I think it was important that the University was not in the position of already having some plan partially formed," he said.
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said he believes one of the opportunities made possible by the LAC has historical significance.
"This was the first time we had any official setting in which our local elected officials were meeting and talking with the University's Board of Trustees," he said. "That represents, I think, an important milestone."
With the committee's guiding principles in hand, University officials began hosting a series of monthly public forums to present concept plans to the community.
At the first forum, held March 22, University officials presented three potential plans to the public.
One plan emphasized land conservation; another focused on the proximity of "transit nodes"; and the third stressed preserving the area's two watersheds.
Several town and University officials said they believe these forums are an important part of the plan's development.
"I think the most important thing is to give the University the opportunity to share with the community," School of Pharmacy Dean Robert Blouin said.
"We can move together towards the successful launch period. That would be my greatest hope."
Evans said he hopes officials will use feedback from the forums to shape a draft plan to be taken to the Board of Trustees in July.
Plans call for forums that would continue after the presentation of the draft plan. Evans said he hopes the University will take a final plan to the trustees in September and to town officials for final approval in October.
Though the University's main campus is stretched nearly to its brink, Chilton said he does not believe that more expedient development of Carolina North is necessarily better.
"I think we need to be thoughtful about the way Carolina North happens," he said. "I don't think there's any need to rush the development of the plan."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/18/07 4:00am)
Karen Patillo's morning commute just got a little longer.
Patillo, an administrative secretary for the Chapel Hill public works department, is one of many town employees unpacking this week after the department's relocation.
The town's public works and transportation departments are in the process of shifting operations from facilities on Municipal Drive to new buildings on Millhouse Road.
Patillo, who lives off Franklin Street, has a son at Estes Hills Elementary School and another in a Carrboro day care center. Now her drive will be 10 minutes longer.
"Our commute starts a little earlier," she said.
While the transportation department will not begin its move for another couple of weeks, Patillo and most of her colleagues are in the middle of relocating.
"We are essentially operating out of two locations right now," Public Works Director Bill Letteri said.
Most of management has moved, he said, while operations still are functioning out of the old location.
While Letteri said splitting operations is hard, he said he does not foresee service interruptions.
The new facilities are intended to reflect Chapel Hill's stated values of sustainability, environmental sensitivity and fiscal prudence.
Chapel Hill Town Council member Ed Harrison took a tour of the new transportation facilities in December and said he thinks they do a good job of that.
"They are essentially 21st century buildings," he said. "They're energy efficient, day-lighted."
The facilities were built using recycled materials and carpet and also boast a geothermal heat pump, council member Jim Ward said.
"They include a number of innovative design features," he said.
But Letteri said the buildings' most useful feature is added space.
"There is simply more room to do what we need to do," he said.
But the new location does not come without drawbacks.
Because it is farther away from the bus routes, Transportation Director Steve Spade said the cost of fueling vehicles will rise significantly.
"Being in the new building is going to increase our cost to operate by somewhere close to half a million dollars," Spade said. "A vast majority is the diesel fuel."
It will be at least another week before the public works department's move to the new location is complete, Letteri said. "I expect in three to four weeks, we will be fully functional out of this facility."
The timeline for the transportation's move is not as concrete as for public works, Transportation Director Steve Spade said.
"That's kind of the magic question," he said. "We think it will be some time during the month of May, probably closer to the end of May."
After the move, Chapel Hill Transit bus drivers will have more comfortable downtime, Spade said.
"It will be a lot more livable, workable area for our drivers, who spend a lot of time here since they work split shifts."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
