2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team

Last updated

2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer
North Carolina Tar Heels logo.svg
NCAA Tournament, Semifinal
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
U. Soc. Coaches  pollNo. 4
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 4
Record9–5–4 (7–2–3 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Grant Porter (10th season)
  • Will Clayton (3rd season)
Home stadium Dorrance Field
Seasons
  2019
2021  
2020 ACC men's fall soccer standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
North
No. 2 Pittsburgh 4 0 07 1 0
No. 4 Virginia Tech 3 1 23 2 2
Notre Dame 3 2 05 4 0
Virginia 2 3 13 4 1
Louisville 1 4 11 6 1
Syracuse 0 3 20 3 2
South
No. 3 Wake Forest 5 1 07 2 0
North Carolina 3 1 23 2 2
No. 1 Clemson3 2 18 2 1
Duke 2 4 02 6 0
NC State 0 5 10 6 1
Boston College0 0 00 0 0
As of March 9, 2021
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: † Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; begins play in March.
2020 ACC men's spring soccer standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Atlantic
No. 7 Clemson4 1 114 3 3
Louisville 4 2 05 8 1
No. 6 Wake Forest + 3 0 213 3 2
NC State 1 2 33 8 4
Boston College * 1 3 11 3 1
Syracuse 0 3 12 7 4
Coastal
No. 3 Pittsburgh + 5 1 016 4 0
No. 4 North Carolina + 4 1 19 5 4
Duke 2 3 13 10 3
Virginia 2 4 07 8 1
No. 15 Virginia Tech + 2 4 07 6 4
Notre Dame 1 5 08 9 0
As of May 18, 2021
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: *- Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; began play in March.

The 2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 74th season of the university fielding a program. The Tar Heels were led by tenth year head coach Carlos Somoano and played their home games at Dorrance Field.

Contents

The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.

The Tar Heels finished the fall season 3–2–2 and 3–1–2 in ACC play to finish in second place in the South Division. In the ACC Tournament lost to Notre Dame in the Quarterfinals. They finished the spring season 4–2–1 and 4–1–1 in ACC play, to finish in second place in the Coastal Division. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As an unseeded team in the tournament, they progressed pass Charlotte in the Second Round via penalties, defeated Stanford in the Third Round, and Wake Forest in the Quarterfinals before losing to Marshall in the Semifinals to end their season.

Background

The 2019 North Carolina men's soccer team finished the season with a 7–7–4 overall record and a 3–5–0 ACC record. The Tar Heels were seeded seventh–overall in the 2019 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. The Tar Heels were upset in the first round by the tenth seed Syracuse. The Tar Heels were not invited to the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. This marked the first year since 2007 that the Tar Heels were not invited to the NCAA Tournament.

At the end of the season, two Tar Heels men's soccer players wer selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft: Jeremy Kelly and Jack Skahan. [1]

Player movement

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Mauricio Pineda2MF6'1"175Senior Bolingbrook, IL Graduated
Blake Malone 4DF6'0"165Freshman Las Vegas, NV Signed with Orange County SC
Jack Skahan 8MF5'10"165Senior Memphis, TN Declared for 2020 MLS SuperDraft; selected 27th overall by San Jose Earthquakes
Drew Romig12GK6'1"186Senior Midlothian, VA Graduated
Lenny Aharon14DF5'8"169Freshman Herzlia, Israel
Sebastian Berhalter 15FW5'10"154Freshman Westerville, OH Signed with Columbus Crew
Martin Salas19MF5'10"148Senior Dallas, TX Graduated
Alex Moztarzadeh20MF5'9"153Senior Miami, FL Graduated
Jake Walker23DF6'0"160Sophomore Davie, FL
Liam Williams25DF6'0"178Junior Taupō
Jelani Pieters26FW6'0"165Senior Oswego, IL Graduated
Raul Aguilera 28MF5'9"155Junior Sanford, FL Signed with Orlando City B
Jeremy Kelly 29MF5'10"155Senior Chapel Hill, NC Declared for 2020 MLS SuperDraft; selected 9th overall by Montreal Impact

Recruiting class

NameNat.HometownClubTDS Rating
Axel Alejandre
DF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Chicago, IL FC United (IL)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Yaya Bakayoko
FW
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Bronx, NY Manhattan SCStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Sammed Bawa
MF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Hawthorn Woods, IL Taft SchoolStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Jameson Charles
MF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Minneapolis, MN WashburnStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Akeim Clarke
MF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Windsor, CT Black Rock FCStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Garrett Kessel
MF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Oak Ridge, NC North Carolina FusionStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Jonathan Sinclair
MF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Valley Stream, NY F.A EuroStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Riley Thomas
DF
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Atlanta, GA United Futbol Academy (GA)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Squad

Roster

Updated December 10, 2020 [10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Alec Smir
2 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Filippo Zattarin
4 DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Joe Pickering
5 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Julian Hinojosa
6 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Matt Constant
7 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Lucas Del Rosario
8 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jameson Charles
9 MF Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  VEN Santiago Herrera
10 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Giovanni Montesdeoca
11 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Antonio Lopez
12 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA J.P. Philpot
13 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Key White
14 MF Flag of Sweden.svg  SWE Victor Olofsson
15 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Riley Thomas
16 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jonathan Jimenez
17 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Cameron Fisher
18 MF Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  WAL Sam Jones
19 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jonathan Sinclari
No.Pos.NationPlayer
20 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Ernest Bawa
21 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Alex Rose
22 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Milo Garvanian
24 GK Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  SUI Marco Saborio-Perez
25 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Akeim Clarke
26 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Axel Alejandre
27 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Mark Salas
28 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Tim Schels
29 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Yaya Bakayoko
30 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jake Schick
31 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Malik Henry
32 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Aldair Sanchez
33 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Garrett Kessel
34 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Ahmad Al-Qaq
35 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Sam Moore
37 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jacques Bouvery
38 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Roman Knox
39 FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Taff Wadda

Team management

PositionStaff
Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham
Head Coach Carlos Somoano
Assistant CoachGrant Porter
Assistant CoachWill Clayton
Volunteer Assistant CoachMichael Harrington
Director of Operations Tim Kübel

Source: [10]

Schedule

Source: [11]

Date
Time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (Attendance)
City, State
Fall Exhibition
September 20, 2020*
6:00 p.m.
NC State W 1–0 
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
Fall Regular season
October 2, 2020
7:00 p.m.,  ACCNX
at  Duke
Rivalry
W 2–0 1–0–0
(1–0–0)
Koskinen Stadium
Durham, NC
October 9, 2020
6:00 p.m.,  ESPNU
No. 3  Clemson W 1–0 2–0–0
(2–0–0)
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
October 18, 2020
6:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 3at No. 1  Wake Forest
Rivalry
L 0–1 OT2–1–0
(2–1–0)
Spry Stadium
Winston–Salem, NC
October 27, 2020
7:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 5at No. 3 ClemsonT 3–3 2OT2–1–1
(2–1–1)
Riggs Field (1,000)
Clemson, SC
November 1, 2020
1:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 5NC StateT 0–0 2OT2–1–2
(2–1–2)
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
November 6, 2020
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 4Duke
Rivalry
W  2–0  3–1–2
(3–1–2)
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
November 15, 2020
2:00 p.m., ACCN
(S2) No. 3(N3)  Notre Dame
Quarterfinals
L  0–1  OT3–2–2
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
Spring Exhibition
February 20, 2021*
4:00 p.m.
vs. ClemsonW 1–0 
CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex (0)
Pineville, NC
Spring Regular Season
February 25, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX
Liberty L  0–1  3–3–2
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 5, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 4  Pittsburgh W  3–0  4–3–2
(4–1–2)
Dorrance Field (351)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 13, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 24  Virginia W  2–0  5–3–2
(5–1–2)
Dorrance Field (580)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 20, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 15at  Syracuse T  0–0  2OT5–3–3
(5–1–3)
SU Soccer Stadium (0)
Syracuse, NY
March 27, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 16at Notre DameW  2–1  OT6–3–3
(6–1–3)
Alumni Stadium (143)
Notre Dame, IN
April 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 15 Virginia Tech L  0–1  6–4–3
(6–2–3)
Dorrance Field (423)
Chapel Hill, NC
April 11, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 18at Duke
Rivalry
W  1–0  7–4–3
(7–2–3)
Koskinen Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
NCAA Tournament
May 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16No. 14  Charlotte
Second Round
T  1–1 (4–1 PKs) 2OT7–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (175)
Cary, NC
May 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16(4) No. 5  Stanford
Third Round
W  1–0  8–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (185)
Cary, NC
May 10, 2021
5:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16(5) No. 4 Wake Forest
Quarterfinals
W  2–1  9–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (189)
Cary, NC
May 14, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 16No. 10  Marshall
Semifinals
L  0–1  9–5–4
WakeMed Soccer Park
Cary, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDateRef.
Alec Smir ACC Defensive Player of the Week October 5, 2020 [12]
Fillipo Zattarin Co-ACC Defensive Player of the Week October 12, 2020 [13]
Giovanni Montesdeoca ACC Offensive Player of the Week March 9, 2021 [14]
ACC Offensive Player of the Week March 15, 2021 [15]
Alec Smir All ACC Second-Team April 14, 2021 [16]
Giovanni Montesdeoca

2021 MLS Super Draft

PlayerTeamRoundPick #Position
Matt Constant Sporting Kansas City 250 DF
Mark Salas FC Dallas 376 DF
Giovanni Montesdeoca FC Dallas 379 FW

Source: [17]

Rankings

Fall 2020

Ranking movement
Legend:██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
PollWk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Final
United Soccer [18] 355434

Spring 2021

Ranking movement
Legend:██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
PollPreWk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Final
United Soccer [18] None ReleasedRV151615181516None Released4
TopDrawer Soccer [19] 14131314RV1684

References

  1. "14 ACC Players Picked on Day 1 of MLS SuperDraft". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. "Axel Alejandre". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  3. "Yaya Bakayoko". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  4. "Sammed Bawa". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  5. "Jameson Charles". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  6. "Akeim Clarke". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  7. "Garrett Kessel". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  8. "Jonathan Sinclair". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  9. "Riley Thomas". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "2020 Men's Soccer Roster". goheels.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  11. "2020 Men's Soccer Schedule". goheels.com. University of North Carolina. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  12. "Holcomb, Seye, Smir Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  13. "Petkovic, Shutler, Zattarin Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  14. "North Carolina's Montesdeoca, Virginia's Gerbig Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  15. "UNC's Montesdeoca, ND's Lynn and Quinton Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  16. "2020 All-ACC Men's Soccer Team Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  17. "2021 MLS SuperDraft Tracker". MLSSoccer.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  18. 1 2 "NCAA DI Men's National Rankings". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  19. "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.