Matt Brooks

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Walk-off homer lifts UNC

By Matt Brooks | April 11

Loren Hibbs must have known it was coming. With one out and two on in the bottom of the ninth and the score knotted at 3-3, Charlotte's head coach must have had that feeling in his gut - somehow the No. 2 Tar Heels would pull out the win. A quick glance at the history books reveals the root of his uneasiness. UNC coach Mike Fox was 8-0 against the 49ers. Charlotte last defeated the Tar Heels in 1992, and they haven't won in Chapel Hill since April 20, 1988.

Sports

Duke drops Tar Heels

By Matt Brooks | February 26

DURHAM - Duke rolled out the red carpet on Sunday in Durham, but it wasn't for the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels. It was senior night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the top-ranked Blue Devils were looking to send fourth-year standouts Lindsey Harding and Alison Bales out with a win, and complete the first undefeated regular season in school history. The No. 4 Tar Heels (27-3,

Sports

Tar Heels breeze to easy win

By Matt Brooks | February 19

Charmaine Clark didn't have a chance. Miami's 5-foot-11-inch forward barely got her sneakers off the floor before 6-foot-3-inch North Carolina forward LaToya Pringle had tapped the ball to a Tar Heel teammate, and the rout was on. The Hurricanes (11-17, 2-11 in the ACC) were overmatched from the opening tip Sunday in Chapel Hill, lacking the size or speed to make their matinee with the No. 2 Tar Heels anything short of a blowout. The Tar Heels never trailed on their way to a 93-70 victory. Coming off a loss at N.C. State on Friday, in which UNC (26-2,

Sports

N.C. State down, Maryland next

By Matt Brooks | January 22

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, the score box and cutline accompanying this story incorrectly states the score of the UNC-N.C. State game. The score was 86-65. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error. It would have been easy for the North Carolina women's basketball team to look past Sunday's matchup with rival N.C. State. With a trip to College Park, Md., looming and revenge on their minds, the No. 2 Tar Heels (22-0, 6-0 in the ACC) easily could have overlooked a visit from a struggling Wolfpack squad that had dropped four of its last seven.

Sports

Sloppy UNC cages Clemson

By Matt Brooks | January 18

CLEMSON, S.C. - Fresh off a humbling loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, No. 4 North Carolina looked to rebound against a Clemson team coming off its first loss of the season. But Littlejohn Coliseum is not a rehabilitation clinic, and even when the Tigers were perennial ACC cellar dwellers, UNC struggled to find success there. But Coach Roy Williams' young team showed that it had learned a thing or two about dealing with a hostile crowd, handing the Tigers their second straight loss - 77-55.

Sports

Odgers pursues goal abroad

By Matt Brooks | November 15

This summer, North Carolina men's soccer player Ted Odgers found himself in Bizarro world. On a field in Cordoba, Argentina, UNC's vocal leader had the tables turned on him. Instead of issuing commands to his teammates, Odgers was receiving orders and struggling to decipher them. "It's different," the senior defender said. "It's really rattling as well. You're playing on the field with guys from Argentina. I mean, these kids are 18, 19 years old, and they are barking at you in Spanish.

Sports

ACC seedings on the line vs. Wake

By Matt Brooks | October 13

When you're the No. 3 team in the nation, you expect to get every team's best shot. When you travel to Buies Creek to play Campbell in their biggest game of the season, you've got to be prepared for a dog . err, Camel fight. Tuesday night, the Tar Heels got a fight, and courtesy of an own goal, the Camels (7-5-1) slew Goliath in their biggest win since another victory over then-No.3 North Carolina in 1988. Tonight UNC will face a more expected challenge when it hosts No. 5 Wake Forest (11-2-1, 2-2-1 in the ACC) at Fetzer Field.

Sports

UNC survives overtime scare 1-0

By Matt Brooks | September 27

Following a big win against then-No. 1 Virginia on Friday in Chapel Hill, the North Carolina men's soccer team appeared poised to re-establish itself as one of the nation's top championship contenders. Losses to N.C. State at home and at Clemson to open the conference schedule left UNC dead last in the ACC standings. With Friday's win, the nation's preseason No. 1 team appeared to have righted the ship.

Sports

Sexton settles in at the helm

By Matt Brooks | September 19

Quarterback controversy? Not anymore. Saturday night against Furman University, redshirt freshman Cam Sexton solidified himself as UNC's starting signal caller . for now. In his first collegiate start, Sexton showed few signs of nerves. His first pass was a screen to tailback Ronnie McGill, who took off down the left sideline for a 58-yard touchdown. "I love screen passes," Sexton said following the Tar Heels' first win of the season. "The screen pass I guess is the quarterback's best friend. You don't do a lot of work, let them do it, and it looks good on my stats."

Sports

UNC must play to strengths of QBs

By Matt Brooks | September 15

After the second interception, it was time to make a change. Fresh legs, a different style, better pocket vision - anything to jump-start a stagnant offense that had just as many turnovers as first downs. On his first play under center, the quarterback was flushed out of the pocket, rolled right and threw a tight spiral to an open receiver for a first down. Two plays later he completed another pass, a perfect strike right in the numbers - of the other team's middle linebacker.