CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Sept. 1, 2024) – The ETSU men's soccer team is ready for a test on Labor Day night as the Buccaneers take on No. 17 North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. at Dorrance Field.
 
GAMEDAY INFO
ETSU (1-1-1) at No. 17 North Carolina (2-0-1)
Monday, Sept. 2 • 7:30 p.m.  • Dorrance Field • ESPN+ • Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU sits 1-1-1 through the first three games of the season
• The Bucs played Presbyterian to a 1-1 draw last Thursday in Johnson City
• Ryan Suckling scored his first collegiate goal to give ETSU the lead over the Blue Hose in the 15th minute
• Ingvar Kolbjornsen, Zayd Idlibi, Henrique Cruz and Suckling have all scored goals for the Blue & Gold this season … Kolbjornsen, Idlibi and Cruz all found the back of the net in the Bucs' 3-1 season-opening win versus Longwood on Aug. 22
• The Bucs are led by first-year head coach Allen Vital … Vital comes to Johnson City with 27 years of head coaching experience as he spent 14 years at Carson-Newman and spent the last 13 seasons at his alma mater, Tusculum
• ETSU won the Southern Conference regular season title a year ago after finishing the 2023 campaign with an overall record of 9-5-3 and league mark of 4-0-1
• The Bucs return nine players who logged minutes on the pitch last season, including preseason all-SoCon selection Gabriel Ramos
• Ramos, a preseason all-SoCon selection, started all 17 matches last season where he tallied six goals, five assists and 17 points … Ramos led the team in goals and points and was tied for the team lead in assists

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA  

• North Carolina is unbeaten through its first three games as the Tar Heels are 2-0-1 on the season
• The Tar Heels are ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll
• UNC has wins over UAB (1-0) and FIU (3-1), while they played Cal Baptist to a scoreless draw
• Martin Vician has scored three goals on the season as he recorded a brace against FIU and netted the game-winner over UAB
• The Heels, who reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 14th time in program history last season, was ranked No. 6 in the Preseason Coaches Poll
• Defender Riley Thomas was named to the 2024 ACC Preseason Watch List
• UNC was tabbed third in the Preseason ACC Coaches Poll

SERIES HISTORY

• Monday marks the eighth all-time meeting against the two programs
• UNC leads the all-time series 6-1
• This is the third straight season ETSU and UNC are meeting on the pitch
• Six of the eight meetings have been decided by one goal
• The Bucs' lone win came on Sept. 13, 2016, when Fletcher Ekern scored the game-winner in overtime to take down No. 1 UNC in Chapel Hill
• The Bucs earned a 2-1 win over the Blue Hose last season in Clinton, S.C.
• This marks Presbyterian's first trip to Johnson City since Sept. 17, 2019, when ETSU won 3-0 

WHAT'S NEXT
ETSU returns home to welcome UNCW to Summers-Taylor Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
For more information on Buccaneer men's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's soccer tab.