University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Ready For Field Hockey Championship
November 18, 2000 | Field Hockey
Nov. 18, 2000
North Carolina defeated Maryland 4-1 on Friday to advance to the NCAA Field Hockey Championship on Sunday afternoon. At 2 p.m., the Tar Heels will play Old Dominion for their fifth NCAA Championship.
Saturday, the Tar Heels held an afternoon practice, spent time with their families and prepared for the title game. Junior Abbey Woolley and sophomore Stephanie Fuller also took time to share their thoughts on the weekend with TarHeelBlue.com
"Hello from the final four at ODU. This has been a pretty fun weekend so far, besides the fact that we're playing in the final game tomorrow for a chance to win the national championship!
"Since arriving Wednesday night, we've been practicing a lot. Our first night we had the NCAA Championships banquet at the Nauticus museum. It was really fun and a very nice dinner. We were allowed to pet a shark and play with toys, and a string orchestra serenaded the tables during dinner. Not your ordinary banquet.
"I actually had to speak, as a team representative, and tell a story of something that had made our team closer. So I told the story of when our bus broke down on the way back from the ACC Tournament and how we made the best of a bad situation.
"Friday, we played Maryland and beat them 4-1. It was so exciting! We were all screaming so loudly with every goal that some of us had sore throats. The parents are all here, supporting us and feeding us home-baked goodies, as usual.
"Everyone's having a great time. Hopefully tomorrow's game will give us even more of a reason to celebrate on Sunday night."
"Hi to everyone at Carolina! It's Saturday evening and I'm getting ready to head to our last team dinner with the seniors.
"The team has settled in quite comfortably because we've been here since Wednesday night. Each day has been more exciting than the last.
"Thursday morning we had practice and then a free afternoon. Most people used this time to do some work while others traveled around Norfolk. Thursday night we had a banquet at the Nauticus museum with the three other teams participating in the NCAA Championship-Maryland, Old Dominion and Wake Forest. Abbey Woolley represented Carolina well with a hilarious speech about our team. It was an amazing night!
"Friday was game day. Most of the day was spent relaxing and mentally preparing for the game. At 6:30 p.m. the Heels took on the Terps. After a shaky start, we turned the game around with four unanswered goals for the win. The fans were amazing and the atmosphere was unforgettable!
"We are all well-prepared to take on the Monarchs tomorrow at 2 p.m. Anyone who would like to watch the Heels go for their fifth national title, take a road trip up north to ODU. We'd love the fan support! If not, we'll return Sunday night, ready to celebrate a win.
Good luck to all the other Tar Heels competing this weekend!
