CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Top-ranked North Carolina opens a three-game road trip on Thursday when it travels to Austin, Texas to face the host Longhorns at 8 p.m. ET. The match will be televised on the Longhorn Network.
Carolina is coming off 2-0 win over UNCW on Sunday to close out an unblemished opening weekend which included a 3-0 opening night victory over No. 11 Tennessee. Texas opened its season with a 5-0 win over Lipscomb.
UNC out-shot its first two opponents by 33 shots (47-14) in a pair of clean sheet wins. Five different players have scored the Tar Heels’ five goals with Emily Moxley dishing out a pair of assists.
Senior Marz Josephson and redshirt freshman Emmie Allen split time in goal with Allen starting and Josephson playing the second half each match.
QUICKS KICKS
SERIES HISTORY | The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Texas, 5-0-1, and have won all three matches in Austin, including a 2-0 triumph in their last visit in 2015. Carolina owns a 17-5 advantage in goals scored in the six games and has recorded three shutouts. The last meeting in the series resulted in a double overtime draw (1-1) when the Longhorns came to Chapel Hill in 2018.
LONE STAR STATE SUCCESS | UNC is 35-3-2 all-time against teams from Texas. The Tar Heels made their first appearance in the Lone Star state in 1989 and posted wins over Harden Simmons and SMU in Dallas. Those two wins were the first of 26 consecutive in Texas before suffering its first loss in Dallas to Santa Clara in the 2001 NCAA title game. The Tar Heels are 37-4 all-time inside the state borders (Dallas 15-1; Houston 8-0; College Station 5-1; Klein 4-0; Austin 3-2; Spring 2-0).
ON THE ROAD | The Tar Heels have won their initial road game of the year each of the last two seasons, winning at Ohio State last season and at Duke in 2020. Carolina is 18-1-1 in its last 20 road games dating back to the 2019 season.
ATOP THE POLL | North Carolina returned atop the United Soccer Coaches poll this week for the first time since Nov. 10, 2020; a span of 25 polls without being number one. Since the turn of the millennium, the Tar Heels have played 148 games as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team and have posted a record of 135-11-2.
WE ARE FAMILY | UNC junior defender Abby Allen is a native of Austin, Texas and attended Lake Travis High School. Her older sister, Carlee, is a fifth-year midfielder for the Longhorns. Texas head coach Angela Kelly was a four-year letterwinner for the Tar Heels from 1991-94 and helped UNC win four consecutive national titles. She garnered All-America recognition as a senior and was a three-year All-ACC performer.
DEFENISVE HONORS | Senior Tori Hansen was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Tuesday. Hansen played all 180 minutes in two games last week and anchored a defense that posted back-to-back shutouts to start the season. She made several key tackles in UNC’s 3-0 triumph over No. 11 Tennessee in the season opener on Thursday, while also scoring a goal in the second half. She was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Team of the Week as well.
ON THE SHELF | Carolina senior All-America defender Maycee Bell and junior midfielder Talia Dellaperuta will not compete this weekend due to injury.