2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team

The 2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 74th season of the university fielding a program. The Tar Heels were led by tenth year head coach Carlos Somoano and played their home games at Dorrance Field.

2020 North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer
NCAA Tournament, Semifinal
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
U. Soc. Coaches pollNo. 4
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 4
2020 record9–5–4 (7–2–3 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Grant Porter (10th season)
  • Will Clayton (3rd season)
Home stadiumDorrance Field
2020 ACC men's fall soccer standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North
No. 2 Pittsburgh 4 0 07 1 0
No. 4 Virginia Tech 3 1 23 2 2
Notre Dame 3 2 05 4 0
Virginia 2 3 13 4 1
Louisville 1 4 11 6 1
Syracuse 0 3 20 3 2
South
No. 3 Wake Forest 5 1 07 2 0
North Carolina 3 1 23 2 2
No. 1 Clemson3 2 18 2 1
Duke 2 4 02 6 0
NC State 0 5 10 6 1
Boston College0 0 00 0 0
As of March 9, 2021; Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: † Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; begins play in March.
2020 ACC men's spring soccer standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Atlantic
No. 7 Clemson4 1 114 3 3
Louisville 4 2 05 8 1
No. 6 Wake Forest + 3 0 213 3 2
NC State 1 2 33 8 4
Boston College * 1 3 11 3 1
Syracuse 0 3 12 7 4
Coastal
No. 3 Pittsburgh + 5 1 016 4 0
No. 4 North Carolina + 4 1 19 5 4
Duke 2 3 13 10 3
Virginia 2 4 07 8 1
No. 15 Virginia Tech + 2 4 07 6 4
Notre Dame 1 5 08 9 0
As of May 18, 2021; Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: *- Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; began play in March.

The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in Spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.

The Tar Heels finished the fall season 3–2–2 and 3–1–2 in ACC play to finish in second place in the South Division. In the ACC Tournament lost to Notre Dame in the Quarterfinals. They finished the spring season 4–2–1 and 4–1–1 in ACC play, to finish in second place in the Coastal Division. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the an unseeded team in the tournament, they progressed pass Charlotte in the Second Round via penalties, defeated Stanford in the Third Round, and Wake Forest in the Quarterfinals before losing to Marshall in the Semifinals to end their season.

Background

The 2019 North Carolina men's soccer team finished the season with a 7–7–4 overall record and a 3–5–0 ACC record. The Tar Heels were seeded seventh–overall in the 2019 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. The Tar Heels were upset in the first round by the tenth seed Syracuse. The Tar Heels were not invited to the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. This marked the first year since 2007 that the Tar Heels were not invited to the NCAA Tournament.

At the end of the season, two Tar Heels men's soccer players wer selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft: Jeremy Kelly and Jack Skahan.[1]

Player movement

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Mauricio Pineda2MF6'1"175SeniorBolingbrook, ILGraduated
Blake Malone4DF6'0"165FreshmanLas Vegas, NVSigned with Orange County SC
Jack Skahan8MF5'10"165SeniorMemphis, TNDeclared for 2020 MLS SuperDraft; selected 27th overall by San Jose Earthquakes
Drew Romig12GK6'1"186SeniorMidlothian, VAGraduated
Lenny Aharon14DF5'8"169FreshmanHerzlia, Israel
Sebastian Berhalter15FW5'10"154FreshmanWesterville, OHSigned with Columbus Crew
Martin Salas19MF5'10"148SeniorDallas, TXGraduated
Alex Moztarzadeh20MF5'9"153SeniorMiami, FLGraduated
Jake Walker23DF6'0"160SophomoreDavie, FL
Liam Williams25DF6'0"178JuniorTaupo, New Zealand
Jelani Pieters26FW6'0"165SeniorOswego, ILGraduated
Raul Aguilera28MF5'9"155JuniorSanford, FLSigned with Orlando City B
Jeremy Kelly29MF5'10"155SeniorChapel Hill, NCDeclared for 2020 MLS SuperDraft; selected 9th overall by Montreal Impact
Milo Garvanian32MF6'1"160SophomoreAlburquerque, NM

Recruiting class

Name Nat. Hometown Club TDS Rating
Axel Alejandre
DF
 USAChicago, ILFC United (IL)[2]
Yaya Bakayoko
FW
 USABronx, NYManhattan SC[3]
Sammed Bawa
MF
 USAHawthorn Woods, ILTaft School[4]
Jameson Charles
MF
 USAMinneapolis, MNWashburn[5]
Akeim Clarke
MF
 USAWindsor, CTBlack Rock FC[6]
Garrett Kessel
MF
 USAOak Ridge, NCNorth Carolina Fusion[7]
Jonathan Sinclair
MF
 USAValley Stream, NYF.A Euro[8]
Riley Thomas
DF
 USAAtlanta, GAUnited Futbol Academy (GA)[9]

Squad

Roster

Updated December 10, 2020[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  USA Alec Smir
2 MF  ITA Filippo Zattarin
4 DF  ENG Joe Pickering
5 DF  USA Julian Hinojosa
6 DF  USA Matt Constant
7 FW  USA Lucas Del Rosario
8 MF  USA Jameson Charles
9 MF  VEN Santiago Herrera
10 FW  USA Giovanni Montesdeoca
11 MF  USA Antonio Lopez
12 GK  USA J.P. Philpot
13 FW  USA Key White
14 MF  SWE Victor Olofsson
15 DF  USA Riley Thomas
16 FW  USA Jonathan Jimenez
17 MF  USA Cameron Fisher
18 MF  WAL Sam Jones
19 MF  USA Jonathan Sinclari
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF  USA Ernest Bawa
21 FW  USA Alex Rose
22 MF  USA Milo Garvanian
24 GK   SUI Marco Saborio-Perez
25 FW  USA Akeim Clarke
26 FW  USA Axel Alejandre
27 DF  USA Mark Salas
28 MF  GER Tim Schels
29 MF  USA Yaya Bakayoko
30 GK  USA Jake Schick
31 FW  CAN Malik Henry
32 DF  USA Aldair Sanchez
33 MF  USA Garrett Kessel
34 MF  USA Ahmad Al-Qaq
35 MF  USA Sam Moore
37 MF  USA Jacques Bouvery
38 MF  USA Roman Knox
39 FW  ENG Taff Wadda

Team management

PositionStaff
Athletic DirectorBubba Cunningham
Head CoachCarlos Somoano
Assistant CoachGrant Porter
Assistant CoachWill Clayton
Volunteer Assistant CoachMichael Harrington
Director of OperationsTim Kübel

Source:[10]

Schedule

Source:[11]

Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
City, State
Fall Exhibition
September 20, 2020*
6:00 p.m.
NC State W 1–0 
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
Fall Regular season
October 2, 2020
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
at Duke
Rivalry
W 2–0  1–0–0
(1–0–0)
Koskinen Stadium
Durham, NC
October 9, 2020
6:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 3 Clemson W 1–0  2–0–0
(2–0–0)
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
October 18, 2020
6:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 3 at No. 1 Wake Forest
Rivalry
L 0–1 OT 2–1–0
(2–1–0)
Spry Stadium
Winston–Salem, NC
October 27, 2020
7:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 5 at No. 3 Clemson T 3–3 2OT 2–1–1
(2–1–1)
Riggs Field (1,000)
Clemson, SC
November 1, 2020
1:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 5 NC State T 0–0 2OT 2–1–2
(2–1–2)
Dorrance Field
Chapel Hill, NC
November 6, 2020
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 4 Duke
Rivalry
W 2–0  3–1–2
(3–1–2)
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
November 15, 2020
2:00 p.m., ACCN
(S2) No. 3 (N3) Notre Dame
Quarterfinals
L 0–1 OT 3–2–2
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
Spring Exhibition
February 20, 2021*
4:00 p.m.
vs. Clemson W 1–0 
CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex (0)
Pineville, NC
Spring Regular Season
February 25, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX
Liberty L 0–1  3–3–2
Dorrance Field (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 5, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 4 Pittsburgh W 3–0  4–3–2
(4–1–2)
Dorrance Field (351)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 13, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 24 Virginia W 2–0  5–3–2
(5–1–2)
Dorrance Field (580)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 20, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 15 at Syracuse T 0–0 2OT 5–3–3
(5–1–3)
SU Soccer Stadium (0)
Syracuse, NY
March 27, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 16 at Notre Dame W 2–1 OT 6–3–3
(6–1–3)
Alumni Stadium (143)
Notre Dame, IN
April 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 15 Virginia Tech L 0–1  6–4–3
(6–2–3)
Dorrance Field (423)
Chapel Hill, NC
April 11, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 18 at Duke
Rivalry
W 1–0  7–4–3
(7–2–3)
Koskinen Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
NCAA Tournament
May 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16 No. 14 Charlotte
Second Round
T 1–1 (4–1 PKs) 2OT 7–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (175)
Cary, NC
May 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16 (4) No. 5 Stanford
Third Round
W 1–0  8–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (185)
Cary, NC
May 10, 2021
5:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
No. 16 (5) No. 4 Wake Forest
Quarterfinals
W 2–1  9–4–4
WakeMed Soccer Park (189)
Cary, NC
May 14, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 16 No. 10 Marshall
Semifinals
L 0–1  9–5–4
WakeMed Soccer Park
Cary, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date Ref.
Alec Smir ACC Defensive Player of the Week October 5, 2020 [12]
Fillipo Zattarin Co-ACC Defensive Player of the Week October 12, 2020 [13]
Giovanni Montesdeoca ACC Offensive Player of the Week March 9, 2021 [14]
ACC Offensive Player of the Week March 15, 2021 [15]
Alec Smir All ACC Second-Team April 14, 2021 [16]
Giovanni Montesdeoca

2021 MLS Super Draft

PlayerTeamRoundPick #Position
Matt ConstantSporting Kansas City250DF
Mark SalasFC Dallas376DF
Giovanni MontesdeocaFC Dallas379FW

Source:[17]

Rankings

Fall 2020

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Final
United Soccer[18] 3 5 5 4 3 4

Spring 2021

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Final
United Soccer[18] None Released RV 15 16 15 18 15 16 None Released 4
TopDrawer Soccer [19] 14 13 13 14 RV 16 8 4

References

  1. "14 ACC Players Picked on Day 1 of MLS SuperDraft". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. "Axel Alejandre". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  3. "Yaya Bakayoko". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  4. "Sammed Bawa". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  5. "Jameson Charles". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  6. "Akeim Clarke". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  7. "Garrett Kessel". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  8. "Jonathan Sinclair". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  9. "Riley Thomas". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  10. "2020 Men's Soccer Roster". goheels.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  11. "2020 Men's Soccer Schedule". goheels.com. University of North Carolina. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  12. "Holcomb, Seye, Smir Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  13. "Petkovic, Shutler, Zattarin Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  14. "North Carolina's Montesdeoca, Virginia's Gerbig Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  15. "UNC's Montesdeoca, ND's Lynn and Quinton Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  16. "2020 All-ACC Men's Soccer Team Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  17. "2021 MLS SuperDraft Tracker". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  18. "NCAA DI Men's National Rankings". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  19. "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
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