CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina will take on Drake today at 6 p.m. at Fetzer Field for berth in the men’s NCAA College Cup. The Tar Heels, the No. 5 seed, will be taking on Drake for the first time.
The Tar Heels (15-2-3) come into the match unbeaten in their last seven outings after advancing to the quarterfinal round for the second straight year by beating Brown (2-0) and Indiana (1-0). Drake
(16-6-2) enters the contest with wins over Western Illinois (2-1), No. 4 seed Ohio State (1-0) and Boston College (6-4).
The winner of the match will advance to the NCAA College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to take on No. 1 seed Akron or No. 8 seed Tulsa in the national semifinals. The Tar Heels have been to three previous College Cups (1987, 2001, 2008), winning the title in 2001.
Sophomore forward Alex Dixon, who got the game-winner against Indiana, has scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season and just the second time in his career. Dixon has been on a scoring tear for UNC with five of his seven goals coming in the last six games.
UNC’s defense also has been strong. The Tar Heels, with their consecutive shutouts to start NCAA Tournament play, have blanked 11 opponents this season. They are four away of their high of 15 shutouts set in 2005. UNC has only yielded 11 goals all season.
Goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty made four saves in his last outing against the Hoosiers and recorded his fifth shutout in NCAA play after collecting three last season in tournament action.
Fetzer Field has provided the Tar Heels with an excellent home field advantage as UNC has posted an 11-1-1mark so far at home. In NCAA play, the Tar Heels are 15-7 all-time at Fetzer Field. Last season UNC beat Northwestern 1-0 at home to advance to the College Cup in Frisco, Texas.
