UNC Earns 4-0 Shutout At Virginia

Friday, October 6

Charlottesville, Va.

5:00 PM

North Carolina

(11-2, 3-1ACC)

Virginia

(10-2, 3-1ACC)

North Carolina

Virginia

Junior Eva van't Hoog and the Tar Heels won 4-0 at Virginia on Friday.

Photo by: Brian McWalters

October 6, 2017 | Field Hockey

Box Score Watch Highlights Box Score (.pdf)

Four different Tar Heels scored in the ACC victory.

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 6 North Carolina got goals from four different players and earned its fifth shutout of the season Friday evening, beating No. 3 Virginia 4-0 in an Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey battle at the Cavaliers' University Turf Field. UNC improved to 11-2 (3-1 ACC) with the win while UVa fell to 10-2 (3-1) with its first conference loss of the fall.

"We were balanced in our attack and balanced in our defense," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I'm delighted for the team."

After a scoreless first 34 minutes of the game, UNC got the gamewinner on a penalty corner in the minute before halftime. On the Tar Heels' third corner of the evening, on what appeared it would be a missed opportunity, junior Eva van't Hoog controlled the ball in the circle and then passed it behind her to classmate Ashley Hoffman, who smacked a grounder into the lower left corner of the cage to make it 1-0 Tar Heels.

"Getting the goal right before halftime was huge, but we knew we still had to play both halves," Shelton said. "We had good focus going into the second half."

Carolina created opportunities throughout the period, totaling 17 shots in the second half after managing just five in the first. In the 43rd minute of play, on the team's first penalty corner of the period, sophomore Catherine Hayden scored from the front of the cage, assisted by junior Malin Evert. In the 51st minute, UNC made it 3-0 when sophomore Marissa Creatore picked a ball from freshman Meredith Sholder out of the air and shot it past UVa keeper Carrera Lucas to extend the lead. The fourth goal came in the 67th minute, when sophomore Feline Guenther grabbed a rebound off the Lucas' pads and put it back in for the second goal of her Tar Heel career and a 4-0 margin.

The Tar Heels played without their lone senior, co-captain Gab Major, the team's leading scorer. She suffered a leg injury in practice this week and sidelined for Friday's game. At the same time, UNC was facing the nation's highest scoring team: Virginia came in averaging 5.64 goals per game and also has the nation's largest scoring margin, beating opponents by an average 4.55 goals per game. (UNC came in ranked No. 7, winning by an average of 2.2 goals.) A pair of Cavaliers – Tara Vittese and Pien Dicke – holds the top two spots on the NCAA's goals per game list.

"I think that's a strong statement for our team, to win that game without our senior,"
Shelton said. "It was a team effort – I know that's cliché, but it was. We prepared well during the week and then came out and executed incredibly well. We were prepared for what UVa posed and the threats they have.

"Obviously we knew they (Vittese and Dicke) are two marque players. It's hard to stop them completely, but we knew we had to control them and have a plan to deal with them. That required the entire team. It wasn't just the defense – it was the defense, the midfield and the offense, with everyone working together and great communication on the field."

The Tar Heels have more than a week before their next game. They host Louisville on Oct. 14 in Durham for a 1 p.m. ACC matchup.

No. 6 UNC 4, No. 3 Virginia 0
Scoring: UNC – Ashley Hoffman (Eva van't Hoog), 34:21; UNC – Catherine Hayden (Malin Evert), 42:46; UNC – Marissa Creatore (Meredith Sholder), 50:30; UNC – Feline Guenther, 66:45
Shots: UNC 22 (5/17), UVa 12 (6/6)
Penalty corners: UNC 7 (3/4), UVa 5 (2/3)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 5 (Amanda Hendry, 70:00, 5 saves, 0 goals allowed); UVa 8 (Carrera Lucas, 67:48, 8 saves, 4 goals allowed; Lauren Hausheer, 2:12, 0 saves, 0 goals allowed)
Defensive saves: UVa 1 (Nadine de Koning)

UNC starters: Amanda Hendry, Meredith Sholder, Eef Andriessen, Cassie Sumfest, Ashley Hoffman, Feline Guenther, Malin Evert, Morgan Goetz, Eva Smolenaars, Eva van't Hoog, Marissa Creatore
UNC substitutes: Bryn Boylan, Catherine Hayden, Kathryn Holland, Courtnie Williamson, Megan DuVernois