Hokie ClubSCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
- The Tar Heels have started the season with a 3-0 record, picking up their biggest win over the weekend in a 1-0 game against West Virginia.
North Carolina has outscored its opponents 7-1 while outshooting them 41-19.
- Andy Craven and Martin Murphy are Tar Heels’ top two threats up front as they lead the team with two goals a piece, while Danny Garcia leads the team in assists with three.
- Senior goalkeeper Scott Goodwin ranks first or tied for first in the ACC in goals against average (0.33), save percentage (0.889), shutouts (2) and shutouts per game (.0.67).
- Goodwin and sophomore midfielder Mikey Lopez were tabbed as preseason All-Americans by SoccerAmerica.
- The Tar Heels lost five key players from last year’s National Championship squad that moved on to sign professional contracts (Matt Hedges, Enzo Martinez, Ben Speas, Kirk Urso and Billy Schuler).
SERIES HISTORY
- The Tar Heels hold a 8-3 advantage all-time versus the Hokies.
- Virginia Tech has only won one game in its history at North Carolina, a 1-0 victory on Oct. 8, 2005 when the Tar Heels were ranked fourth in the country.
- The Hokies are 2-4 when they are ranked lower, winning 1-0 games in 2005 and 2011. Tech was unranked during both seasons while North Carolina was ranked in the top four.
- Last season’s clash at Thompson Field was won 1-0 by the Hokies as James Shupp came away with the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute as the Hokies shocked No. 1 North Carolina. It was the first time in the series’ history that the two sides have gone to overtime.
HOKIES IN YOUR HOME
For fans looking to catch a game live, but can’t attend, nine Hokie matches will be broadcasted live either online or on TV throughout the 2012 season.
- Hokies All-Access (http://www.hokiesports.com/allaccess)
- Aug. 26 vs. Richmond, 2:30 p.m.
- Sept. 14 vs. Boston College, 7:00 p.m.
- Sept. 28 vs. Wake Forest, 7:00 p.m.
- Oct 23 vs. Radford, 7:00 p.m.
- ESPN3
- Sept. 8 at North Carolina, 7:00 p.m. (http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/570283/virginia-tech-vs-north-carolina)
- Now. 1 at Clemson, 7:00 p.m.
- ACCDN on YouTube
- Sept. 21 at Maryland, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 12 vs. NC State, 7:00 p.m.
- RSN
- Oct. 19 at Virginia, 6:30 p.m.
HOKIE WALL
- Goalkeeper Kyle Renfro has started this season where he left off last year. After leading the ACC with 100 saves in 2011, the junior currently leads the conference in saves (21) and saves per game (5.25) after two weeks of competition. He is also tied for first in the league in shutouts (2) and second in save percentage (.875).
- Currently, his career goals against average is 0.01 behind the school record set by current Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Chase Harrison.
- His seven career shutouts is three away from cracking the the school’s top five.
OFFENSIVE HOKIES
- Through three matches, the Hokies only had three goals with three different goal scorers. Drew Hartell and Connor Pompilio tallied their first goals of the season on Sept. 2 versus St. Bonaventure as David Clemens and Daniel Lauretano scored their second goals of the year in the 4-0 victory.
- The last time Tech defeated a team by four goals or more was nearly two years ago in a 7-2 win over Howard on Sept. 14, 2010.
- Through four games, Clemens has already equaled his scoring output from a year ago when he played in 10 games.
- After coming in as a substitute in the first game, Lauretano recorded his first goal as a Hokie against SIU-Edwardsville. Three starts later, the freshmen tallied his second goal on the year.
MINUTE MEN
- David Clemens, Devante Dubose, David Fiorello, Jed Prater, Drew Ranahan, Kyle Renfro and Ben Strong have put in 335-plus minutes each this season for the Hokies through four games. Dubose and Fiorello lead the team, playing every minute thus far.
- Prater, Ranahan, Renfro and Strong led Tech in minutes logged a season ago. The four amassed 6,969 minutes in 19 games.
LEARNING ON THE FLY
- Tech has 16 players this season who have been in the program for less than two years. With David Fiorello being the lone senior on the 2012 squad, and only seven upperclassmen in all.
- Eight underclassmen have totaled more than 100 minutes this season, while five have logged 200-plus minutes. Sophomore Ben Strong has played 343 minutes while freshman Daniel Lauretano has nearly eclipsed the 300-minute mark with 295.
ACC TEST
• Within the next five matches, the Hokies will take on the top four teams in the conference according to the latest NSCAA rankings.
• Tech opens the ACC season at No. 1 North Carolina before hosting No. 24 Boston College just under a week later at Thompson Field. On Sept. 21, the Hokies travel to College Park, Md., to face No. 4 Maryland before finishing the tough stretch a week later at home with No. 15 Wake Forest.
• The lone non-conference matchup during the stretch is a home game with a VMI on Sept. 17.
AMONGST THE BEST
- The Atlantic Coast Conference has traditionally been one of the nation’s top conferences in men’s soccer and this year is no different. Currently five schools (North Carolina, Maryland, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Boston College) are ranked in the NSCAA’s top 25, which is the second-most of any conference behind the Big East’s seven.
- The league began the season with three teams ranked in the NSCAA’s top 25 preseason poll which was second behind the Big East’s four.
CAPTAINS
- Senior David Fiorello will finish out his Tech career as a three-time team captain for the Hokies, while junior Jed Prater will join him for his first time in the role.