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The North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer team has climbed to No. 2 in the polls and have jumped out to a 5-0-1 record to begin the season.
UNC’s first four regular season games were during the Carolina Nike Classic, followed by two at the Duke Nike Classic.
Here is a look at their results through six games:
UNC Women’s Soccer Results
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 8/16/18 | vs. Illinois | W 3-1 | 1-0-0 |
| 8/19/18 | vs. Ohio State | W 2-0 | 2-0-0 |
| 8/22/18 | vs. Texas | T 1-1 (2OT) | 2-0-1 |
| 8/26/18 | vs. UCF | W 1-0 | 3-0-1 |
| 8/30/18 | vs. Providence | W 1-0 | 4-0-1 |
| 9/2/18 | vs. Marquette | W 4-0 | 5-0-1 |
Carolina’s only blemish on their record is a 1-1 tie with Texas.
With their hot start, the team moved up two spots to No. 2. Take a look at the Top 25 below:
Women’s Soccer Top 25
| Rank | School | First Place Votes | Total Points | Previous Ranking | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | First Place Votes | Total Points | Previous Ranking | Current Record |
| 1 | Stanford | 33 | 872 | 1 | 4-0-0 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 822 | 4 | 5-0-1 | |
| 3 | Florida State | 795 | 6 | 5-0-1 | |
| 4 | Southern California | 2 | 756 | 8 | 4-0-1 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 723 | 9 | 6-0-0 | |
| 6 | Virginia | 699 | 7 | 5-0-0 | |
| 7 | UCLA | 652 | 2 | 2-1-1 | |
| 8 | Georgetown | 553 | 15 | 4-0-2 | |
| 9 | Tennessee | 504 | 13 | 5-0-1 | |
| 10 | Auburn | 474 | 24 | 6-0-0 | |
| 11 | Penn State | 471 | 3 | 3-2-0 | |
| 12 | Santa Clara | 461 | 12 | 4-1-0 | |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 455 | 16 | 5-0-1 | |
| 14 | Duke | 435 | 11 | 4-1-1 | |
| 15 | Northwestern | 407 | 19 | 4-0-1 | |
| 16 | Kansas | 374 | 18 | 5-0-1 | |
| 17 | Washington State | 329 | 22 | 4-0-0 | |
| 18 | Texas | 302 | 21 | 4-0-1 | |
| 19 | South Carolina | 264 | 10 | 4-1-0 | |
| 20 | South Florida | 215 | NR | 3-1-0 | |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 175 | NR | 4-1-0 | |
| 22 | Butler | 121 | NR | 4-1-0 | |
| 23 | Princeton | 88 | 14 | 3-1-0 | |
| 24 | Louisville | 71 | NR | 5-0-0 | |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 59 | NR | 4-1-0 |
The Tar Heels lead five other ACC teams in the poll. They are joined in the top ten by Florida State at No. 3 and Virginia at No. 6. NC State and Duke are paired up at No. 13 and No. 14, while Louisville enters the poll at No. 24.
Senior defender Julia Ashley was named the National Player of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer for the week of August 27 to September 2.
During the two games versus Providence and Marquette, Ashley was on a hot streak, recording two goals and an assist. Her biggest moment was hitting the game winner versus Providence. The defender already has as many goals this year as she did in the three previous seasons combined.
Ashley is part of a Carolina defense that has not allowed a goal since August 22. Carolina has been firing nonstop recently, outshooting Providence 19-7 and Marquette 26-4. The Tar Heel goalkeeper only had to make one save through both games.
The Tar Heels have a tough two-game West Coast swing starting tonight at 10:30 PM ET versus No. 12 Santa Clara. Sunday, though, will be the real test, and will likely be one of the most-anticipated games of the season. Carolina will take on top-ranked Stanford on their turf at 5:30 PM ET. This match will be broadcast on the PAC-12 Network.