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Sports Monday Win Makes UNC's Year Worthwhile If we don’t win this game, it dimin ishes all the good things we’ve done this year,” said John Bunting after North Carolina defeated Southern Methodist 19-10 on Saturday at Kenan Stadium. Bunting’s boys came through for him when it counted the most and got the Tar Heels that precious 7-5 win ning record that made them bowl eli gible. Before the game, there was no doubt that the Peach Bowl was only waiting for North Carolina to become bowl eligible to extend the bid. N.C. State coach Chuck Amato went in person to lobby the Tangerine Bowl, giving up on the Peach. RACHEL CARTER THROWS LIKE A GIRL Amid the euphoria of their victory, the Tar Heels tried to quantify what the bowl trip will mean to this season. Said tailback Willie Parker: “I would grade this season an A+. This is the best feeling in our lives right now, to go to a bowl game and play for a win.” The Tar Heel postgame interviews were very much like the ones after UNC shocked Florida State on Sept. 22. But the games were very different. UNC was lucky to escape with a win against Southern Methodist. The Tar Heels’ offense struggled through the game, and UNC only picked up its offensive output in the second half. “I was worried all game,” said wide out Kory Bailey, who made four receptions for 47 yards. “SMU is a tough team. They’ve gone through some things this year, but they were out there fighting. They gave us every thing they had. Luckily, we were able to come out with a victory.” Had the Tar Heels dropped their last game, falling to 6-6, Bunting’s first year would have been diminished. There’s no doubt. Although North Carolina won seven of its last nine, those three early losses count for more than their share. What’s funny about those losses, though, is that they are part of what got UNC its Peach Bowl bid. The Peach Bowl representatives mentioned the Tar Heels’ difficult schedule more than once. After losing to Oklahoma, Maryland and Texas on the road, the Tar Heels were in a serious funk. Although Maryland would go on to win the ACC Championship, it was a particularly dif ficult loss to swallow because of the poor quality of play. Against Oklahoma and Texas, UNC played some good halves, but couldn’t get it together. Bouncing back to beat Florida State made everyone sit up and notice the potential of the Tar Heels, but Bunting said Saturday he thought he had his players on the right mental track after they defeated N.C. State 17-9 at Carter- Finley Stadium. “1116 team has a lot of character and a ‘never die’ attitude, and it shows,” said senior quarterback Ronald Curry, who completed 8 of 14 attempts for 116 yards and a touchdown against SMU. “We go out there and play for 60 min utes regardless of what the score is. That’s what we’ve been doing all year whether we were winning or losing, and good things just started to happen.” Those good things - the running game clicking, the rush defense rebounding from tough losses - must continue for the Tar Heels to be suc cessful in the bowl. A Southeastern Conference team is going to be a diffi cult challenge for the Tar Heels and chances are they will be underdogs going into New Year’s Eve. But Bunting’s first year won’t be diminished by the outcome of the Peach Bowl - it can only be enhanced. After Carl Torbush was fired last year, few people thought this year’s Tar Heels would be sitting pretty in third place in the conference. “It’s been a long season for this team and this staff, particularly in light of the fact that we’ve pushed them so hard,” Bunting said. “We tried to make this team better by playing a tough sched ule and by making a lot of demands of them in spring ba11.... We’re really proud that they played as well as (hey did today.” Rachel Carter can be reached at sports@unc.edu. Ramsey Butts Nittany Lions Out of NCAAs By Kelly Lusk Assistant Sports Editor North Carolina women’s soccer forward Alyssa Ramsey never thought her backside would propel UNC into its 20th consecutive final four appearance. But in the 80th minute of Friday’s quarterfinal game on Fetzer Field against Penn State, Ramsey’s rear end gave the Tar Heels exacdy what they needed -a goal. Her tally clinched a 2-1 vic tory for UNC and guaranteed the Tar Heels a trip to Dallas next week end for the NCAA Women’s College Cup final four. UNC midfielder Jordan Walker served the ball from mid field to a charging Ramsey in the center of the goal box. PSU All-American goalkeeper Emily Oleksiuk challenged the play and a scuffle ensued. Defender Bonnie Young and Oleksiuk attempted to clear the ball but were denied when it ricocheted off Ramsey and bounced into an open net. “I fell, so I didn’t know what happened until I got up,” Ramsey said. “I turned around to see the ball in the back of the net. Luckily, my butt came in handy. That’s the first lucky goal I think I’ve had.” That luck came just in time for the sputtering Tar Heels. Although UNC midfielder Sara Randolph scored in the game’s sixth minute, the Tar Heels struggled late in the first half. The offense lost its sense of cohesiveness and allowed the Nittany Lions to control the game’s ebb and flow. UNC’s defense held Penn State’s potent All-American for ward, Christie Welsh, scoreless. But in the 33rd minute another Nittany lion broke through the Tar Heels’ back line. Midfielder See WOMEN'S SOCCER, Page 7 UNC Finally Gets a Victory The Tar Heels avoided becoming the first team in the program's history to drop its first four games. By Mike Ogle Senior Writer Jason Capel danced. As the clock wound down on North Carolina’s first conference game of the season, Capel, a senior, and freshman Melvin Scott trapped Georgia Tech’s Tony Akins. Akins tried Hen’s Basketball Ga. Tech 77 UNC 83 to pass out of the fray but lost control of the ball. Capel tipped the ball up and ahead to Scott, who was breaking for the Tar Heels’ basket in front of a jubilant UNC bench at the Smith Center. Scott snagged the ball out of the air, drove for the layup, his eighth and ninth points of the game, and got fouled by Halston Lane. When the ball dropped through the net with 5.1 ticks remaining on the clock, it sealed UNC’s first victory of the season. Capel pumped his fists and hopped around by himself at midcourt, reveling and remembering what it felt like to win. Scott hit the free-throw to make it official - North Carolina 83, Georgia Tech 77. Not only are the Tar Heels (1-3,1-0 in the ACC) no longer winless, but they are undefeated in the confer ence. UNC doesn’t face another ACC foe Waves Roll Over UNC In Volleyball Tourney By Jamie Agin Assistant Sport Saturday Editor Beating Pepperdine was just too tall an order for the North Carolina volley ball team Friday night. The Waves capitalized on a dramatic difference in size to down UNC 3-0 (31- Volleyball Pepperdine ... .3 UNC 0 27,30-26, 30-23) and to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite being physically over- matched, the Tar Heels hung tough with No. 8 Pepperdine throughout the match. UNC Improves, ales Against oast Teams See Page 7 UNC took a 24-21 lead late in game one, forcing a Pepperdine timeout. After the break, the Waves went on a 9-3 run and took the first game in large part TfJ. HV Women’s Soccer Penn State I UNC 2 DTH/BRIAN CASSF.I.LA North Carolina forward Alyssa Ramsey (12) tries to create a threat to PSU goalie Emily Oleksiuk. until Wake Forest onjan. 5. “We’re 1-0 in the ACC, and we can look at the standings for almost a month and say that we’re at the top of the ACC,” UNC coach Matt Doherty said. “Hopefully that will give us some confi dence, and hopefully we’ll stay there for a while." By winning, the Tar Heels “stopped the bleeding,” as Capel put it. They avoided earning the dubious distinction of becoming the first squad in school history to win not one of its first four games. The losses and the chatter about the possible slide of the program were weighing on the players’ minds, whether they would admit it before the win against the Yellow Jackets. “We kind of shied away from a lot of things during this three-game losing streak,” said Capel, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. “I’ve shied away from some of the things in my everyday life. It feels good to be out there and have fun again. Nbt just to win, but to have fun and enjoy each other and reap the benefits from ail the hard work that we’ve done. “I tried not to read nothing y’all say or talk about. I don’t watch ESPN no more. I go home and I watch something that’s going to make me laugh because everything y’all say about us is nega tive.” The victory isn’t the only positive the Tar Heels have to take away from the game. They shot a dismal 35.3 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from 3-point See MEN'S BASKETBALL, Page 7 because of UNC hitting mistakes. After Pepperdine took an eight-point lead in the second game, UNC battled back to pull within one at 23-22. But after another timeout, Pepperdine seemed to regain its focus. A pair of kills on consecutive points by Wave outside hitter Kate Wilkins put the game out of reach. North Carolina led for the early part of the third game, but after the Waves tied the score at 15, they never looked back and coasted to a 30-23 victory in the clincher. Holly Strauss - playing through an ankle injury she reaggravated Thursday night -and Krista Buchholz led the Tar Heels with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Laura Greene added 10 kills for the UNC, which finished the season with a 24-9 record. While each team saw six players reg ister a kill, the Waves were much more See VOLLEYBALL, Page 7 ufj n rj HIOIP TANARUS/ ink -if Sir , m ijm Sg '~ ( M Krtgl ■ DTH/GREG LOGAN North Carolina guard Brian Morrison (right) dunks over Georgia Tech's Robert Brooks for the first dunk of his collegiate career. Tar Heels Survive Scare By lan Gordon Assistant Sports Editor It wasn’t in the conference tournament championship game, it wasn’t on the road, and it wasn’t against a tradition al nemesis. But when the North Carolina men’s soccer team entered overtime in its game against American on Sunday, the stakes were even higher than the last time it played an oppo- nent to a scoreless draw through 90 minutes. In that game, the 2000 ACC Tournament final against Virginia in Winston-Salem, UNC scored 13 seconds into the overtime period to take the title. Against American, the result took a little longer to materialize. But with a possible trip to the final four in the making, Sunday’s outcome might prove to be sweeter. UNC forward Mike Gell scored the golden goal in the 95th minute to propel the Tar Heels past the Eagles, 1-0, in an NCAA Tournament third-round game at Fetzer Field. With the victo ry, North Carolina advances to a national quarterfinal against Fairleigh Dickinson, a 1-0 winner against Seton Hall on Sunday. “I think today’s game was really a turning point,” said UNC defender Danny Jackson. “Today was a lot more pf a fight, a ’ ■’ | Penn State Goalkeeper's Solid Game Not Enough PSU's Emily Oleksiuk lost to UNC for the second time this season, allowing two goals on 16 Tar Heel shots. By Gavin Off Staff Writer Oh, the thoughts that must have run through the head of Emily Oleksiuk. Sure, the Penn State senior goalkeep er is a two-time All-American. And sure, she has a net full of other accomplish ments, like being named the team’s most valuable player and first-team all-Big Ten for the past three years. But on Sept. 9, the Tar Heels solved Oleksiuk, winning 3-0 at Fetzer Field. And with Friday’s rematch against UNC, there was even more pressure on Oleksiuk in the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament. She found that out quickly. vf® Ml a'• n Men’s Soccer American 0 UNC(OT) I Gell Redeems Himself With Game-Winner See Page 7 DTH/ANNE MEADOWS North Carolina forward Mike Gell (15) races for the ball. Gell scored UNC's game-winning goal. scrap. It wasn’t a pretty game, but we got the result we needed.” See MEN'S SOCCER, Page 7 Teasley Helps Tar Heels Defeat Lady Monarchs Senior guard Nikki Teasley's (left) 14-4 run allowed the 24th-ranked Tar Heels to out distance No. 17 ODU for the 95-85 victory. Junior guard Coretta Brown contributed 24 points while Teasley scored 27 and was 9 of 9 from the free throw line. See Page 7 In the first 20 minutes, North Carolina fired seven shots at Oleksiuk. UNC freshman Sara Randolph pound ed one of them into the back of the net But other than two shots that clanged off the posts, Oleksiuk gobbled up the rest of UNC’s blasts. The Tar Heels scored on only two of 16 shot attempts. “We have so much respect for her that very rarely do we make any adjust ments in our practice to play a team,” said UNC coach Anson Dorrance. “But we spent most of yesterday’s practice solving her presence. And that’s a won derful compliment to her.” To prepare for Oleksiuk, the Tar Heels worked in practice on shot selec tion and ball movement around the net. Dorrance said the only other player that North Carolina ever specifically prepared for was former Central Florida star Michelle Akers. “Corner kicks she dominated, balls See OLEKSIUK, Page 7 Morrison's Vertical Shows Up Brian Morrison dunked for the first time in his career with more than a minute remaining in the first half. By Kelly Lusk Assistant Sports Editor His teammates had seen him do it in practice. He always swore up and down that it was possible. But Sunday night against Georgia Tech at the Smith Center, North Carolina guard Brian Morrison finally proved that he does, in fact, have ups. “I heard about a kid we had recruit ed - the white kid with the vertical,” said forward Kris Lang. “I’ve been won dering where he was.” Lang will have to wonder no longer. With 1:16 left before halftime, Morrison drove to the basket and leapt over Yellow Jacket center Robert Brooks to slam down his first collegiate dunk and give UNC a one-point lead. And he drew a foul. “I knew I’d get fouled,” Morrison said. “I knew it was going to happen. But afterward, I don’t think my adren aline has ever been that high. To have my first collegiate dunk with 18,000 people watching is amazing. “It was a moment I’ll always think of.” Morrison had more than one shining See MORRISON, Page 7 10
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