If last week was dipping toes in the water of the college sports athletic season, this week is the real head-first dive into it. Normally we get to use this week as a way to slowly immerse ourselves into the new year, but thanks to some Week 0 action, the Tar Heels are going into the seasonat a full sprint.
Let’s take a look at where everyone will be playing this week.
UNC Football
This one you should know by now. The whole offseason has been building toward this once-in-a-lifetime moment for the Tar Heels, as a good
chunk of the campus will pack up and head to Dublin for the Aer Lingus Classic. TCU gave up their home game against the Tar Heels to play this one in Dublin, and it’ll basically be the official welcome to the college football season. We’ll be breaking down this game as the week goes on.
- Saturday, August 29 vs TCU in Dublin, Ireland — Noon, ESPN
UNC Men’s Soccer
The men got off to a good start on the pitch as they drew against Georgetown in Washington, DC. The Hoyas were ranked fifth in the country, and getting a draw on the road against one of the top squads is a positive way to get the season going. This week they continue on the road before opening their home schedule at the end of the week.
- Monday, August 24 @ Memphis, Memphis, TN — 8 PM, ESPN+ (Streaming only)
- Friday, August 28 vs VCU, Chapel Hill, NC — 7:30 PM, ACCNX (streaming ACC Network)
UNC Women’s Soccer
So apparently when Ireland decided to host UNC to play football this year, that included both types. While the men’s American football team will take the field on Saturday, the UNC women’s soccer team will take the pitch in Ireland against Shelbourne FC in a friendly. It’ll be a great exposure for the women before they come back to the United States and finish their schedule.
One note — last week, the week ahead post mistakenly indicated that both men’s and women’s soccer were adopting a year-round schedule. Right now, it’s just the men’s teams doing this to better align to the world’s schedule. Apologies for the error.
- Friday, August 28 vs Shelbourne FC in Dublin, Ireland — 2 PM
UNC Field Hockey
All the fun scrimmages against local clubs are now done as Erin Matson’s squad jumps into the fray and begins the regular season about as strong as one can ask for. This weekend sees the team travel to Winston-Salem for the ACC-B1G challenge. Last year Carolina had to go to the midwest, so it’ll be nice for them to at least stay in-state for the start of the season. You’re still going to have to wait a week before they play in Chapel Hill, but a trip to Winston-Salem should be easy if you want to catch this team in person.
- Friday, August 28 vs Michigan, Winston-Salem, NC — 3:30 PM
- Sunday, August 30 vs Iowa, Winston-Salem, NC — 11 AM
UNC Volleyball
This team with some real expectations this season started with a bit of a shaky start in exhibition play as a downpour in Chapel Hill exposed some leaking in the Carmichael Arena roof. Still, they were able to get their exposure to fans, and now the games count in one of the only sports for which the conference doesn’t have a tournament to determine a champion. You’ll have two chances in state to see them this weekend, though the back-to-back starts further to the west than one may expect.
- Saturday, August 29 @ Davidson, Davidson, NC — 2:00 PM, ESPN+ (streaming only)
- Sunday, August 30 vs UNC-Wilmington, Chapel Hill, NC — 4:00 PM, ACCNX (streaming only)
Here’s hoping each squad is able to get to — or continue — a strong start to their seasons!
