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Two Coastal Division Championships for UNC Soccer gave way to heartbreaking defeats in the ACC Championship Game earlier this month. After dominating the ACC in the Regular Season, the women’s side fell in the title game to Florida State 3-2 in a game where UNC erased a 2-0 deficit in the second half only to lose in the 85th minute. The men, meanwhile, fell 1-0 to Louisville in a very evenly contested match.
But now the real test begins: The College Cup. Both teams began their seasons with championship-or-bust expectations and nothing that has happened in the last three months has done anything to change that standard. Here is what the NCAA Tournament looks like for both teams heading into their weekend match-ups:
Women
Anson Dorrance’s squad began their tournament march on Saturday with a 4-0 drubbing of Howard University at WakeMed. The Tar Heels, one of the tournament’s #1-seeds, were led by Bridgette Andrzejewski’s brace of goals off the bench and Julia Ashley, who added a goal and an assist. Rachael Dorwart had the fourth goal. The 4-0 scoreline doesn’t quite do justice to the beatdown Carolina issued to the Bison, outshooting them 26-1 and not allowing any shots on goal. The Tar Heels (18-3-1) have now won 18 games for the first time since 2013.
The Tar Heels will next face off against Kansas on Friday at 5:00 pm at WakeMed. The winner will face the victor of Arkansas/Virginia Tech, which will take place earlier that day at 2:00 pm. The Jayhawks (12-5-3) beat St. Louis in the first round to advance to the Round of 32.
Men
Carlos Somoano’s team is the fifth-overall team in the tournament, making them essentially a two-seed (for some reason the Men’s Tournament doesn’t number their brackets the way the rest of the Western world has agreed to) and, if they take care of business in the earlier rounds, have the opportunity to square off again with the Cardinals in the Regional Final: Louisville, ranked #4, is in Carolina’s region.
The Tar Heels (14-3-1), who are seeking their third consecutive Final Four appearance, will play their Round of 32 match on Sunday at 6:00 pm at WakeMed. They will be playing the winner of High Point and James Madison, who play tonight at 7:00 pm.