CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Third-ranked North Carolina plays its lone match of the week Saturday night against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Thompson Field and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
Both teams earned six points in the ACC standings last week with Carolina posting wins at Syracuse (1-0) and against Boston College (3-0), while the Hokies posted road wins over No. 22 NC State (1-0) and Wake Forest (2-0).
The Tar Heels and Hokies are tied with NC State and Virginia for fourth-place in the ACC with six points, while Duke, Notre Dame and Pitt sit atop the conference standings with nine points each.
Last season, Emily Colton scored Carolina’s second goal in a span of 2:40 with 5:57 to play in regulation to force a 2-2 tie with Virginia Tech at Dorrance Field. UNC out-shot Tech, 32-10, but trailed by two goals with under nine minutes to play. The Hokies led 2-0 with 10:33 remaining in regulation before Avery Patterson blasted a shot into the upper right corner of the goal with 8:37 to play to cut Tech’s lead in half. Hokie goalkeeper Alia Skinner made a career-high 14 saves, while the Tar Heels put 16 of their 32 shots on target.
Fresh Linens | Seven of the Tar Heel’s first nine victories have been clean sheet wins, matching its number of total shutouts during the 2021 season. UNC opened the season by shutting out its first four opponents before surrendering a goal at Missouri.
Goal Scorer | Junior Avery Patterson scored her seventh goal of the season Sunday against Boston College, adding to her already career-best total. She ranks third in the ACC in goals scored while leading the Tar Heels. He seven goals matches Emily Colton 2021 team-leading total.
Home Stand Awaits | Following Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech, North Carolina will play its next three games in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will face No. 14 Pitt on Thursday (Oct. 6) before hosting NC State (Oct. 9) on Sunday. UNC will then close out is regular season home slate against Wake Forest on Oct. 14. Carolina will play its final three games of the regular season on the road (Florida State, Miami, Louisville).
Sharing The Ball | Fourteen players have combined for 27 assists this year. A total of 15 players had an assist last season. Junior Sam Meza leads the team with four assists while four other Tar Heels have…
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