#2 UCLA vs. North Carolina
North Carolina is making a nice run in the NCAA Tournament. They knocked off James Madison 6-0 in the first round and upset both Charlotte and Clemson 2-1. What makes the high scoring Tar Heels so dangerous are their three strikers. The opposition never knows where the goal scoring is going to come from. In the blowout over James Madison, it was Andy Craven who netted a hat trick. Against Charlotte, Tyler Engel scored both goals and against Clemson Rob Lovejoy found the back of the net twice.
If anybody can slow down UNC, it is UCLA. However, the Bruins have allowed three goals in their two NCAA Tournament contests. But that was against San Diego and California, two teams that the Bruins have struggled with this season. UCLA did not struggle defensively against North Carolina when the two teams met in Chapel Hill on August 31st. The Bruins won that contest 1-0 and keeper Earl Edwards only had to make two saves.
The Tar Heels will get more quality shots this time around though. They are on a roll offensively and Edwards should be pretty busy in the Bruin goal. But UNC goalie Brendan Moore should be busy too. The Bruins do not have the most potent offense, but midfielder Leo Stolz is a superb talent who can score himself or set up the strikers up top. Against San Diego, Stolz scored both goals and he dished out two assists in UCLA’s win over California. UCLA should be good for a goal or two, but the question is whether or not the Tar Heels can crack the Bruin defense. A low scoring affair favors UCLA, but this is a North Carolina team that can reach the College Cup as an unseeded team. They just may need to score three goals against UCLA for that to happen.
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