Cary, N.C. – I’m here at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. for the start of the 2009 ACC Tournament with the Terps about to take on North Carolina in a rematch of last Sunday’s match.
It’s cold and the field is slick. The start of the game will be later than the anticipated 7:30 pm start since No. 2 seed Boston College is deadlocked with No. 7 seed Virginia right now in the second overtime. The winner of that game will face the winner of tonight’s match-up between the Terps and Tar Heels.
Already today Florida State, the No. 1 seed, dismantled Duke, the No. 8 seed, 2-0. Then Virginia Tech scored an overtime goal to take down Wake Forest.The Seminoles and Hokies will clash on Friday at 5 p.m.
Probable starters for the Terps tonight:
Forwards – Jasmyne Spencer (All-ACC First team) and Danielle Hubka (All-ACC Freshmen team)
Midfielders – Lydia Hastings, Caitlin McDowell, Domencia Hodak, Molly Dreska
Defenders – Mallory Baker, Brittany Cummins, Sky Anderson, Megan Watson
Goalkeeper – Mary Casey
Meanwhile here’s some stats to ponder about tonight’s matchup:
- The Terps have never beaten North Carolina with a overall record of 0-29-1
- It took 19 matches, a span of 14 years, for the Terps to score their first goal against the Tar Heels. By the time the Terps did score in 2001, the Tar Heels had a 79-0 scoring advantage.
- The one tie between the Terps and Tar Heels came in 2001 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Sunday, the Terps lost by one goal to the Tar Heels at Ludwig Field. Senior forward Casey Nogueira scored the goal on a corner kick in the ninth minute.
Much more to come. Be sure to check www.twitter.com/ceckard for instant updates on the game and back here for more in depth analysis. As always, there will be a full recap of the game in tomorrow’s Diamondback.
Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s soccer beat reporter. He can be reached at eckard@umdbk.com