It is not how you celebrate a win; it is how you deal with a loss

Can you say Florida State? Weekend after weekend this fall, Tar Heel athletes have repeatedly won their games and matches. It was a magical fall with victory after victory for Carolina soccer, field hockey, and volleyball teams. Well, reader, this past weekend was different.

The Seminoles came to Chapel Hill on Thursday and mounted an incredible 2nd-half comeback to beat the Tar Heels in football 30-27. And if that wasn't bad enough, our women's soccer team went to Tallahassee on Thursday and lost in double overtime there to the Seminoles 3-2 in double overtime. But that's not all. The Tar Heel volleyball team also went to Tallahassee on Sunday and lost to the Seminoles 3-1. I'm not sure that I can recall a recent weekend when any one opponent university did so much damage to our athletic program. But that's OK. We'll get them in the upcoming ACC tournament in soccer.

Unfortunately, that was not all of the bad news from the weekend. After the women played soccer at Florida State, they went to Miami where the Hurricanes shut them out 1-0 on Sunday!!! Two losses in women's soccer in a row? When did that happen last?

To quote Dean Smith who once said in a very tight basketball game, "we have them right where we want them!" These two losses could be exactly what the women need to get ready for the ACC tournament which starts on November 4 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Before then, they will play Clemson at Fetzer Field on Friday and Maryland at Maryland on Sunday. I suspect that you cannot get to the game in Landover, but I hope you'll be there on Friday to help the Heels get back on their normal winning ways by beating the Tigers before they go to Maryland and beat the Terps.

Then they play and win the ACC tournament - right? If you have never been to WakeMed Park in Cary, you've missed a soccer treat. This is where the Heels won their last national championship and is the home field for the USL's Carolina Railhawks. This team needs and deserves support from all true Tar Heel fans. With that kind of support, the Heels should win another in a long series of ACC championships and be well prepared for the upcoming NCAA tournament. With any luck at all, some of the NCAA early games should be played at Fetzer. The semi-finals and finals will be played in College Station, TX - home of the Aggies of Texas A&M. See you in Cary?

There was one more loss to report. As was reported several times in this blog, the biggest game of the Tar Heel Field Hockey season occurred on Saturday at Henry Stadium when the #1 Terps of Maryland brought their undefeated record to Chapel Hill to play the #2 ranked and undefeated Tar Heels. What a match that promised to be. Unfortunately, it was fall break at Carolina so the students were away just at the time the Heels would need them most. Unfortunately, our Tar Heels gave up 4 goals (the same number they had given up in their first 15 matches) and lost 4-1. It is likely that the Heels will remain #2 in the rankings.

The team has one more match in its regular season. Unfortunately, it will be played in Norfolk on Saturday at 1pm against Old Dominion. I say "unfortunately" because it would be wonderful if this game could be played in Chapel Hill in front of hundreds of Tar Heel fans. Winning that match would be a great way to get ready for the ACC tournament which will be played in Charlottesville on Nov 5 - 8. This is a great team, and I'm sure that, even though the players and the coaches are very disappointed by their only loss of the season, they will do very well in the ACC Tournament and in the NCAA tournament that follows. Considering the record that the Heels have compiled, I have great hope that part of the NCAA tourney will be played in Chapel Hill. There will be 4 sites for the quarterfinals of the 16-team tournament - 4 teams playing at each site on Nov 14 and 15. The semifinals and finals will be played at Wake Forest the following weekend! That, of course, is where the Heels and the Terps will play again! GO HEELS!

On the subject of soccer, the Tar Heel men beat the Hokies of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Saturday. There is still a chance to see them play at Fetzer this season. Their last home game is against Stetson on Wednesday, the 28th, and they have games with Elon on Nov 3 and with Clemson on Nov 6 at Clemson. This team is currently 13-2-2 and also needs and deserves the support of every Tar Heel fan around. Wouldn't it be fabulous if they went into the ACC tourney at 16-2-2? That tournament is at WakeMed Park in Cary starting on November 10. You'll be very glad that you are there. And, by the way, the NCAA Division 1 Men's Championship will also be played at WakeMed - sort of like a home game for the Heels, don't you think?

You know from earlier in this posting that the volleyball team, like the women's soccer team, made a recent trip to Florida. The great news is that volleyball team beat the Hurricanes in Miami on Friday by a score of 3-0! Unfortunately, it was following this win that the Seminoles won the match in Tallahassee on Sunday. The good news for the team and for its fans is that its next 5 games are at home in the Dean Dome. The last time they played there (you'll remember) they beat Duke 3-1. On Friday of this week, they'll play Georgia Tech. Then on Saturday (no football game that day), they'll play Clemson followed by State on Tuesday, Virginia on Friday, and Virginia Tech on Sunday. In 8 days, you'll have 5 chances to support the Heels and help them beat 5 conference opponents. By the way, there is no ACC tournament in volleyball, The conference champion is determined by the regular season records of the teams. Needless to say, every match left in the season is critical to the Heels' chances of winning the conference championship that they shared last year with Duke. Being in the Dean Dome is the least we can do to help them become the ACC champion!

Hopefully, the coming weekend will be far more successful for the Heels than was last weekend. Let me remind you. The women play soccer on Friday at Fetzer and the volleyball team hosts GT on Friday and Clemson on Saturday at the Dean Dome. They need your voice there challenging to make the next shot the game winner! See you there? If you can be in Norfolk, help the field hockey team beat Old Dominion for the 2nd time this season. If you can be in Clemson on Friday, be sure to pull for the Heels to beat the Tigers. There are 4 ACC championships on the line in the next couple of weeks, and we owe it to all of these athletes to do our part to help them win all 4!

Another incredibly wonderful weekend for Tar Heel athletes!!!

Another wonderful weekend for Tar Heel sports fans! Where do I begin?

I'll start with Field Hockey because that team continues to add to an unbelievable season. On Saturday, the #2 Tar Heels went to the University of Virginia to play the #3 Wahoos. In their first overtime game of the year, your Carolina women BEAT the Cavaliers 2-1!!! By the way, the only other team that has beaten UVA is Maryland which, coincidentally, is the only other Div 1 Field Hockey team in the country AND will be in Henry Stadium next Saturday (Oct 24 at 1pm) to play our Heels. After that match, there will only be 1 undefeated Div 1 team, and that needs to be Carolina. Please, please, please go to that match. This week is fall break in Chapel Hill so the students will be out of town. There is no football game that day so there will be loads of free parking including the Boshamer lot directly across the street from Henry Stadium. These women are playing their hearts out, and if you are truly a Tar Heel fan, you must be there. Unfortunately, this writer is out of state and cannot be there, but my heart will be right there cheering for the 2009 National Champion to-be - the Tar Heels of UNC-Chapel Hill!!!

Oh, I forgot to tell you. The women beat Virginia on Saturday and went down the road to #11 James Madison on Sunday and beat the JMU Dukes 2-0. So let me catch you up. The Heels are 15-0. They have 11 shutouts in 15 games, and have outscored their opponents 71-4!!!! What a record, and what a team!!!

On Friday, the Tar Heel volleyball team at 8-9 on the season took on the Blue Devils who were 16-3 at the time. I am thrilled to report that these Carolina women brought home another Carlyle Cup point by beating Duke 3-1!!! And if that wasn't enough, they hosted the Deamon Deacons on Sunday and beat them 3-1! They are on a 3-game winning streak and also need your support. Support means going to the Dean Dome and yelling your head off for these Tar Heel athletes! They have two games away and will be back home on Oct 30 to play the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech in the Dean Dome!

I suppose the folks from Charlottesville are not real happy with us right now. I told you that the Field Hockey team spanked them. So did the women's soccer team who beat the Wahoos on Saturday at Fetzer Field by a score of 2-1. That gives our women a 10-1-1 record. Their next match is HUGE but is in Tallahassee where the Heels will take on the Seminoles on Thursday. Florida State is in the Top 5 in Div 1 women's soccer and only have 1 loss. By the way, in the latest poll there are 6 ACC teams in the Top 25! I suspect that you won't be driving to Florida for a soccer match, but if you can/will, the Heels would really appreciate you being there!

There were 4 other Tar Heel victories on Saturday. The UNC men's and women's Swimming and Diving teams hosted the Hokies from Virgina Tech and the Gamecocks from the University of South Carolina. The wonderful news is that both Tar Heel teams decidedly beat both of its opponents. You know, of course, that the Summer Olympics will be in London in 2012. My guess is that some of the swimmers competing for the US are swimming right now at Koury Natatorium. Maybe you are planning on going to London, but why wait when you can see these men and women right now. It is much, much easier to get in and far less expensive!

As far as I know, there was only 1 Tar Heel loss this weekend. The Eagles from Boston College came to Fetzer on Saturday night and left with a 2-1 victory over the Carolina men's soccer team. The Heels were ranked #2 in the country before that match and have a 12-2-2 record even with that loss. If you haven't seen them play, you have missed a treat. There is no admission for soccer matches this fall because of the construction being done to Carmichael so the time is right for you to attend a match before the season is over. Their next home match is on Wednesday, Oct 28 against Stetson. Be there - you'll have a great time!

So let me summarize. On the weekend of Friday - Sunday, Oct 16 - 18, the Tar Heel teams that played went 9-1! What a great time to be a Tar Heel fan!

One last point - since last Tuesday, the Tar Heel baseball team has been playing what they call the Fall World Series. The team has been divided in half, and those two teams play each other. It is the end of fall baseball practice and gives the players a chance to play games in front of fans. I hope you were there for one or more of those games. Coach Fox and his assistants have another amazing team. You'll want to spend many afternoons and evenings next spring in The Bosh!

What an incredible afternoon for a baseball game, and the Tar Heels did not disappoint! The sky was Carolina Blue and white, fluffy clouds with temps in the high 70's made it perfect. I told you that you'd love this team. Tommy Coyle, a freshman from Pennsylvania, started at 2nd base for the Blue team. He went 3-3 with two stolen bases, had a walk, and scored 2 runs. This was his first game in a Tar Heel uniform in front of a group of fans, and he really showed those of us there why we are going to be very glad that he chose to play college baseball here. Dillon Hazlett started at 3rd base and did very well also. In fact, all of the freshmen who played did very well. Patrick Johnson pitched for the Blue team. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up 2 earned runs, struck out 3 and walked 2. Matt Harvey, who was a starter on the 2009 team, struck out 6 but also gave up 4 runs. All in all, it was a great afternoon. I wish everyone who is a Tar Heel fan could have been there. Starting at 2pm on a weekday is a problem for lots of fans. In case you haven't seen the change, the game on Wednesday has been moved up to 2:30 from 6pm because of the threat of more rain. The game postponed from Monday will be played on Thursday at 2:30. The game on Friday will begin at 3pm. By the way, these games are 7-inning games.

More great Tar Heel sports news over the weekend!

It appears that I posted too soon because there was more great news from the weekend sporting events if you relish wins by the Tar Heels. First, the Tar Heel Volleyball team visited Virginia over the weekend and left with a 3-0 win! Second, several of our teams who play their regular seasons in the spring use the fall to keep in shape and to make adjustments to the team and the way the team plays. That was true of the men's lacrosse team which played in a tournament in San Francisco and beat Brown University by a score of 13-5. Meanwhile, the UNC rowing team was in a tournament in Occoquan, VA. The women won the eights and the fours. Other Tar Heel boats finished 3rd in the eights and 5th and 8th in the fours. But perhaps the most surprising score of the day was in the Field Hockey victory at Duke on Sunday. You may remember that Duke played in Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago. The score in that match was 7-0 with the Heels crushing the Blue Devils. On Sunday in Durham, the score was 2-1. I am very glad to tell you that the victor was the Heels, but did you see that score? In the very first match of the season, the Tar Heels gave up a goal. Two matches later in Chapel Hill, Wake Forest also scored a goal. No goal had been scored against the Heels since that 3rd game until today when Duke did it. You'll remember that this blog has consistently told you about the goals scored to goals allowed statistic. For weeks, the goals scored number had risen at an incredible rate while the goals allowed number had stopped at 2. Well, fans that number rose to 3 today. Is that a problem? Absolutely not, but it is amazing. The ratio after today is 67-3 which is incredible. On the season, the Tar Heel women are now 13-0. They have also provided 2 points in the Carlyle Cup competition. This incredible season goes on!!!

I'm sure that you'll agree with me that Carolina had an incredibly successful weekend in athletics. I know that it smacks of greed on my part, but I love those times when ALL of the teams who represent our university in sports are successful. What a pleasure it is to be able to see the games/matches/meets played by those teams. I hope you'll be there the next time any of the Tar Heel teams play in Chapel Hill!

How about tomorrow? I know, I know, the Heels are playing each other so that's different. In one way it certainly is. The games that will be played in The Bosh this week make no difference in the conference or in the national standings. There is no team from some other university playing against the Heels. It's not like it will be next February when the regular season gets underway. But there is one thing that really matters. There are 16 freshmen on the Tar Heel baseball team who elected to come to Chapel Hill to play. ALL of them could have either played in the major leagues or at some other university. This is our first chance to show them the Tar Heel fans support baseball. Not only do we have a rich heritage in baseball; not only do we have one of the best baseball facilities in the country; not only do we have a fantastic coaching staff, but we also have great fans who understand the game and appreciate all of the athletes who play for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. They'll know that when they run out of the dugouts and there are Tar Heel fans cheering from the stands. I'll be there, and I hope you'll be there with me! GO HEELS!

What a great weekend for Tar Heel sports - the winning beat goes on!!!

I know that it is something of a stretch to include it when I am talking about the "weekend," but give me enough slack to start on Thursday. ECU was here to swim against our Tar Heel men and women and went home badly beaten. Our men beat the Pirates 187-105 while the women won 183-105. What a great way to start this season! Maybe you've attended a swimming and diving meet here, but if not, there is no time like the present to see your first. Remember, the summer Olympics are coming up in 2012 in London. Seeing an olympic-quality swimmer in Chapel Hill is a lot less expensive than traveling to England IF you can even get tickets for that venue over there. There is never a problem attending a meet here in Chapel Hill. The score as of end-of-day Thursday was Tar Heels 2, Opponents 0.

On Friday night, the women's soccer team hosted the Wolfpack at Fetzer Field. Anytime any Tar Heel team hosts Duke or State, it is a major game. As you know, there is absolutely nothing that is as much fun as playing either of those universities in any sport in Chapel Hill. Friday was no exception. While this writer has no proof that this happened, it appeared from the way the women played early in the match that the coach had reminded his team about the importance of focus. After losing its first match of this season and its first ACC game in two years by losing to Virginia Tech 1-0 last Sunday, the Tar Heels scored 3 unanswered goals in the first 9 minutes against NC State. When the match ended, the Heels won the match 5-0 and are now 11-1-1. If you missed it, you also missed an incredibly beautiful October night for anything outdoors. That was the 8th shutout in 12 matches. Just to remind you, you have two more chances to see the Tar Heel women play soccer in Chapel Hill - next Saturday (Oct 17) at 1pm or on Thursday, Oct 29th at 7pm. The Heels host the Wahoos on the 17th and the Clemson Tigers on the 29th. Now, I know that you may be planning to attend the ACC tournament when it is played at WakeMed Park in Cary, but why not take advantage of the two home games that remain to see the women in light blue play on their home field.

At the same time the women were playing in Chapel Hill, the men were visiting the Deamon Deacons in Winston-Salem. They didn't win that match, but they didn't lose it either. After 2 overtimes, the score was 2-2 giving the Tar Heel soccer men an 8-1-2 record for this season! In case you didn't know, the men are ranked second in the country behind Akron. Wake Forest was ranked 6th coming into this game. By the way, if you prefer men's soccer to women's, the men will play two games next week at Fetzer Field - on Tuesday, they play Campbell at 7pm, and on Saturday, they play Boston College at 7 also. What a day Saturday will be - you can watch the #2 ranked women play at 1pm. From there, go down to Franklin Street for a couple of hours, have something to eat, and come back to Fetzer to watch the #2 ranked men play at 7! We are blessed to have such great teams and such great coaching staffs here in Chapel Hill. The players need our support! OK, OK, if you just can't do a full day of soccer, do it this way - go to Boshamer Stadium at 1pm to watch the 5th game of the Fall World Series at 1 then go to Franklin St and then back to Fetzer for the men's soccer game. What a great way to support the athletes in light blue!!!

So that was almost all that happened in Carolina sports on Friday, but there was one more thing. Unfortunately, the Tar Heel volleyball team lost to the Hokies in Blacksburg by a score of 3-2. What that means is that this team needs your support more than ever for the two upcoming games next week. Remember, the Heels will host Duke in the Dean Dome on Friday afternoon at 5pm, just before Late Night with Roy. I know that you wouldn't miss that event so go early and cheer for the volleyball Heels. Because Duke is the opponent, this will count in the Carlyle Cup computation. So after your day of soccer-soccer or baseball-soccer on Saturday, go back to the Dean Dome at 1pm on Sunday to help the volleyball team beat Wake Forest! As of end-of-day Friday, the Tar Heel weekend score was now Tar Heels 3, Opponents 1 with 1 tie.

Saturday - what an incredible team for the Tar Heels again. First, at 11 in the morning, the unbeaten, #2 Tar Heel Field Hockey team hosted Boston College. As has become their custom this season, the women sent their guests home with a 4-0 loss!!! Just to catch you up, that's 10 shutouts out of 12 matches. I will give the Eagles credit, for the first time that I personally have witnessed this season, BC did challenge the Heels. Most of our opponents have had very few shots of goal (great defense by the Heels and unrelenting offense by our women is the reason for so few shots), but BC managed 9 shots on goal and was awarded 10 penalty corners. Great defense by the goalie and her teammates prevented a score. Now, let me catch you up on goals scored vs goals allowed. The Heels after 12 games have now scored 65 (!!!!) goals and have only allowed 2 goals (!!!!).

If you haven't seen this team, you have one more chance in Chapel Hill during the regular season, and it is a HUGE match. Today, the ACC has 4 teams in the top 4 NCAA Division 1 Field Hockey rankings - Maryland, #1 and undefeated, Carolina, #2 and undefeated, Virginia, #3 with 1 loss to Maryland, Wake Forest #4 with two losses (Carolina and Maryland). The Terps will come to Chapel Hill on Saturday, Oct 24. Trust me, you do NOT want to miss this match, even if you have never seen a Field Hockey match in your life. Everything is on the line for this one, and the Field Hockey team needs every Tar Heel fan in the stadium cheering for them.

By now, I am sure that you know that the football team won its fourth game. The purpose of this blog is to report on non-revenue Tar Heel sports so I will provide no details here as I think you will find write-ups and reports on the game in a variety of places. I will, however, include the football win in the final weekend report here - Tar Heels 5 wins, Opponents 1 win with 1 tie!

What an incredible weekend for Tar Heel sports!

One more reminder - don't forget that the baseball Fall World Series starts on Monday at 6pm at The Bosh. Did I tell you? You're really going to like this baseball team!

Women's soccer - Carolina vs NC State

On Friday, Oct 9, at 7pm, the Carolina women's soccer team will host the team from NC State. There is no admission charged, and it should be a wonderful evening from a weather perspective. But most important of all, this is NC State! As is the case with Duke, this game would be huge even if both teams were winless at this point in the season. If you are a passionate Tar Heel fan, beating State at anything is a major reason to celebrate. Well, on Friday, you and I will have the chance to cheer for the home team and help them bring home another victory over the Wolfpack! Parking should be easy, the weather should be perfect, there is no charge for admission, the opponent is the Wolfpack - what else do we need to be there? GO HEELS!!!

Megan Owens, Branagan Fuller, Heather Brooks, Christine Vaughen, and Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland are seniors. They came to Carolina from Indiana, California (2), Michigan, and Illinois to earn degrees and to play their favorite sport - VOLLEYBALL! Their time on the Tar Heel court is nearly over, but there are still seven home games at which you can see these women and their peers represent our university.

Their next game is a big game because it is Duke. The winner of this game gets a Carlyle Cup point. So far this fall, Carolina has won the soccer matches (men and women) and the field hockey match. The football game with Duke is coming, but next Friday at 5pm, you can cheer for the volleyball Heels just before Late Night with Roy starts in the Dean Dome. In fact, make it an afternoon with the Tar Heels. The baseball team plays in "the Bosh" at 3pm. Watch most of that game, but leave in time to catch the volleyball game at 5. When that is over, stick around and watch the Tar Heel basketball players (men and women) as they begin practice for the upcoming season! What an afternoon!

After Duke, the Tar Heels have 6 more home games - Wake Forest (Oct 18), Georgia Tech (Oct 30), Clemson (Oct 31), NC State (Nov 3), Virginia (Nov 6) and Virginia Tech (Nov 8). As you see, all of these games are conference games and are, therefore, crucial to our standing in the conference race/championship. You've played volleyball, and I suspect that you've watched volleyball being played, especially during the summer Olympics. No, this isn't beach volleyball where two players in bathing suits play in the sand against two other players. This is 6 Tar Heel women playing for bragging rights (theirs and ours) in the ACC and in the NCAA. You and I can make a huge difference for these young women and their coaches if we'll be there to support them. Their schedule is on tarheelblue.com. Their is no admission charged, and all of the games are in the Dean Dome. Next season, when Carmichael Auditorium is open again, they'll be back there, but for the rest of the 2009 season, you'll find them in the Dome. Nothing is finer than beating the other teams in the conference, and you have the chance to watch them do that in all of their remaining home games!

Candace Wood, Nyree Williams, Krista Gross, Waltiea Rolle, Cierra Robertson-Warren, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt have chosen to play basketball for Coach Hatchell as Tar Heels. They are the new freshmen. Candace is a red-shirt, and her dad is Al Wood - do you know him? Oh, her sister, Martina, is a senior on this team as well. This team opens play on November 5 (less than a month from now) in an exhibition game in the Dean Dome. Did I tell you that Waltiea is 6'6" and Cierra is 6'4"? Oops, I forgot to tell you that Chay Shegog, a 6'5" sophomore, played on a US national team that won a gold medal this summer. This team is TALL. Add to that, some very experienced players from last year, and you'll begin to believe that this team will be very fast, very exciting, and could be very, very successful! If you didn't see them last year, you MUST see them this year and often.

You must know that Carmichael is being renovated which started at the end of the 2006-2007 season. I have heard it described as a state-of-the-art basketball arena. I have also been told that it is the ONLY arena in the country dedicated to women's basketball. It is going to be a magical place to watch our Tar Heels play. The question that remains is when will it open. From a variety of sources, it appears that early January is the most likely opening time, but December continues to be mentioned as a possibility. Personally, I don't think it matters to anyone who is a true Tar Heel fan. There are over 22,000 seats in the Dean Dome and around 8,000 in the new Carmichael. Season tickets are on sale now, and single-game tickets go on sale on October 17. The Heels play 18 games at home including games against Duke, State, and Maryland. If you are interested, they also play in Las Vegas on November 22 and in Myrtle Beach on December 20 (I'm going - great hotel rate for this game at the Breakers). And if you are really adventurous, they play UConn in Storrs, CT, on January 9. Talk about sweet - beating UConn at UConn is amazing! Tickets are very inexpensive so get them now. If you can't afford a full season (time or money), build and buy your own mini-season package. If you have children or grandchildren, buy tickets and take them. You won't find better entertainment for less money. Remember, November 5 is the first game!

Illse Davids, Riley Foster, Melanie Brill, Danielle Forword, and Briana O'Donell - winners of a NCAA National Championship in Field Hockey in 2007. Illse and Danielle are from South Africa. So why am I writing about them. These 5 Tar Heels are all seniors. Each has 2 more home games in Henry Stadium. If you are like most Tar Heel fans, you've never had the chance to see these ladies play the sport they are so good at. They won the 2007 Div 1 NCAA National Championship, and they have an excellent chance to do it again. Carolina has won 5 since 1988 so this would be #6 and would tie them with the Carolina men's basketball team for team championships. What a wonderful record and what an exciting prospect for the end of this season!

It is critical that Henry Stadium have as many fans in it as is possible for these last two home games. One is Saturday, Oct 10, at 11 a.m. and the other is on Saturday, Oct 24, at 1 p.m. These 5 seniors and their teammates have done an incredible job so far this season, but it is time for all true Tar Heel fans to show them how much we appreciate what they continue to do for Carolina. These games are free, last about 90 minutes (2 35-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time), and will give the fan who attends a real rush as these women record another victory!

There is a football game on the 10th so come early, see the Heels win and get ready for the game in Kenan. The game on the 24th is HUGE since the #1 team in the country, the Maryland Terps, will come to Henry. That weekend is during fall break at the university so the students will be away and there will be plenty of parking at Boshamer (across the street), at the Law School, and at the Institute of Government. That is the LAST chance that we'll have to cheer for and applaud Illse, Riley, Melanie, Danielle, and Briana for all that they've done during their 4 years in Chapel Hill!

Speaking of Boshamer Stadium, Coach Fox and his assistant coaches have recruited an incredible class of new baseball players. Yep, the team lost incredible talent to graduation and the MLB draft, but the future is extremely bright for the baseball Heels. The season won't start until February, but all of us have a chance to see the 2010 baseball team play in their Fall World Series. The team will be divided in half and those two teams will play each other in 2 best-of-3 series. If need be, there will be a championship game to determine the overall winner. All of the games will be played in Boshamer Stadium, and no admission will be charged. The first game of the first 3-game series will start at 6pm on Monday, Oct 12 (University Day - Happy Birthday, UNC!). The second game is scheduled for 2 pm on Tuesday, Oct 13. If there is the need for a 3rd game in this series, it will be played on Wednesday, Oct 14 at 6pm. There will be no game on Thursday, Oct 15. The first game of the second series will be played on Friday, Oct 16, at 3pm. Game two will be on Saturday, Oct 17, at 1 pm. If there is a need for a 3rd game in this second series, it will be played on Sunday, Oct 18, at 1pm. When both series have been completed, if there is a need to determine the overall champion, that game will be played on Tuesday, Oct 20, at 2pm.

I have had the chance to meet a couple of the new players. If you like baseball, you are going to like this team. If you are a Tar Heel fan and like baseball, you are REALLY going to like this team. It has been to the Division 1 College World Series for the last 4 years in a row. It is way too early to predict a 5th trip, but you are REALLY going to like this team. If you are a Tar Heel fan and haven't ever seen a Carolina baseball game, you have missed a major treat. There is no better time than next week to see your first game! There are over 4400 arm-chair seats in Boshamer Stadium, and one of them is waiting for you!

Whitney Engen, Ashlyn Harris, Caroline Boneparth, Nikki Washington, Kristi Eveland, Ashley Moore, Sterling Smith, Casey Nogueira, and Tobin Heath are soccer seniors. They were members of the team that won the NCAA Div 1 National Championship in 2006 and that won the NCAA Div 1 National Championship in 2008. As you would expect, they are having another incredible season. They are 10-1-1 and ranked #1 in Div 1. Based on the history of the Women's Soccer Program at Carolina, you may see one or more of these players in the future on the US National team playing for the World Cup or the Olympic Gold Medal, In the next 3 weeks, you can see these women playing soccer right here in Chapel Hill. They have 3 remaining home games - one on Friday, Oct 9, at 7pm versus NC State, one on Saturday, Oct 17, at 1pm versus Virginia, and the last is on Thursday, Oct 29, at 7pm versus Clemson. The team plays on Fetzer Field where there are over 4000 seats. Admission is FREE.

There is no athletic program anywhere that rivals the history of this one. Like every other team at Carolina, this team needs and deserves our support. Could there be another championship in store for the seniors on this team? Time will tell, but if you are a true Tar Heel fan, you do not want to miss seeing this team play. You have 3 more regular season home games. The ACC tournament will be played at WakeMed Park in Cary, but why not see one or more of these games right on campus? And what could be more fun than watching Anson's team beat the Wolfpack? They've already beaten UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Duke and Wake Forest. The team needs us there to power them past State. I'll be there. How about you?

Talking about non-revenue Tar Heel sports - an on-going commentary

There are 28 varsity sports at UNC-Chapel Hill. 15 of them are women's sports while the remaining 13 are men's. In my experience, one can find lots of information about football and men's basketball, but what can anyone find about field hockey, soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving, fencing, wrestling, softball, baseball, track and field, tennis, golf, or rowing. Yep, it will always be on tarheelblue.com, but how about the newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, blogs, facebook, etc. I think true Tar Heel sports fans need to know more so that is what I am going to do here. I'll give the reader of this page some of the things you won't find on tarheelblue.com and will encourage the reader to come to campus to see these teams play. For example, the Tar Heel field hockey team is ranked 2nd in the country in Div 1. They have two home games left - on Oct 10 against Boston College at 11am at Henry Stadium (directly across the street from Boshamer Stadium). The game is FREE. This team is 10-0, has recorded 8 shutouts, and has outscored its opponents 58-2. They also have a HUGE match today in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest. The Heels beat the Deacons 4-1 in Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago, but, as you know, EVERY WF team loves to beat the Heels in any sport. And the really BIG game at home that is left is a match on Oct 24 against Maryland. The Terps are defending national champions, are ranked #1 in Div 1, and are also 10-0. If you can't make but one game, do everything you can to be in Henry to cheer for the Heels against the Terps! By the way, I attended most of the home games in 2007. That was the year we won the national championship. My opinion? This team may be better! The one thing that is missing from every home match - ENOUGH FANS TO FILL EVERY SEAT IN THE STADIUM. We owe it to this team to be there. On another subject, the women's soccer team is ranked #1 in Div 1. They had a close shave in Boston last night but won 2-1 on two late penalty kicks. If you have never been to see this team play, find a way to be there next Friday (Oct 9) at 7pm. They will play NC State that night. The last time I was there (the Duke game a week or two ago), there were over 2000 empty seats FOR THE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AND THE #! TEAM IN THE COUNTRY. Again, the only thing that is missing are the Tar Heel fans.They are 10-0-1 and have beaten teams like Notre Dame, UCLA, and Texas A&M. They have 3 home matches left - NC State on Oct 9, Virginia on the 17th, and Maryland on the 29th. They need us, folks! One last thing for now, the men's soccer team is #5 in the country. They are 7-1-1 (not counting exhibition games). The one loss was to Maryland in College Park. You'll remember that Maryland beat us in the national championship game last year so this was a rematch. Last night, they beat Virginia 1-0 in Chapel Hill in double overtime - talk about exciting. They have 4 home games left. I know, I know, soccer and field hockey are not as exciting to you as is football, but these athletes work just as hard as do Butch's boys and the points they put up are just as important in the Director's Cup competition as are the points football puts up. I'm going to cheer for these teams and hope to see you there!!!! GO HEELS!

First Post!

Hey Tar Heel Sports fans!

Just wanted this to be the first post of a blog that is all about Tarheel Olympic sports. From scores to just general observations, this blog is going to get you informed and interested in Tarheel Sports!