University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Opens The Season Sunday At Michigan
August 29, 2003 | Field Hockey
Aug. 29, 2003
The Tar Heel field hockey team will open the 2003 season Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich., facing Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Wake Forest and Iowa will kick off the action at noon and UNC will face Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
Carolina met Michigan in the 2002 season opener, and the Tar Heels lost 2-0 at home in a game that also was part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UNC is 5-2 all-time against the Wolverines, but those two losses have come in the last two meetings, in 2002 and in a 2001 NCAA Tournament game (5-2) in Ann Arbor.
UNC coach Karen Shelton was looking for a challenge when she scheduled her team's opening game. "I want our weaknesses pointed out as quickly as possible so we have plenty of time to adjust and work on those areas," she said "Michigan is going to be a very difficult opponent, especially on their home field. They always play an aggressive, fast-paced game. And they're coming off a trip to Holland where they played international caliber competition, so they'll be farther along than most teams at this time of the year. We're looking forward to playing against them."
New Faces, and Lots of Them
UNC has welcomed eight freshmen and a sophomore transfer to the squad this fall. Freshmen are Laree Beans (Bethlehem, Pa./Emmaus H.S.), Marie Bounds (Ellicott City, Md./Wilde Lake H.S.), Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J./Eastern H.S.), Xan Funk (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill H.S.), Ashley Judge (Wilmington, Del./Concord H.S.), Heather Kendell (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill H.S.), Liz Morris (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) and Eileen Piwowarczyk (Derwood, Md./Magruder H.S.). Laisee Rintel, a sophomore from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, transferred to UNC after playing at Syracuse last season.
"The fact that it's a large class means that it has a significant influence on the team, and that influence has been a positive one," Shelton says. "Several are vying for starting positions and the others are happy to be here and trying hard. We've had great intensity in the preseason - everyone is working hard and the freshmen have been a part of that. "
Regulars in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Following the meeting with Michigan on Sunday, the Tar Heels will turn their attention to a Monday matchup with Iowa. Last year, after opening with a loss to Michigan, Carolina beat Iowa 2-1 in overtime in the season's second game. In the other games, Wake Forest will play Iowa Sunday at noon and face Michigan Monday at 2:30 p.m.
This season marks the fourth time that UNC has participated in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Tar Heels hosted the 2002 event in Chapel Hill.
"We're proud to be in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, representing our conference along with Wake Forest, the defending national champion,"Shelton said. "The ACC and the Big Ten are two of the best conferences in the country and include some of the best teams. We enjoy participating in this event and think it's a great way for us to start the season."
No Seniors, but Lots of Leaders
The Tar Heels head into the season with an unusual roster, one that contains no seniors. The team would have had one, Alison Stewart, but she decided over the summer to end her career due to chronic injuries.
The 20-player roster includes seven juniors, four sophomores, one redshirt freshman and eight freshmen.
The last time UNC had so few seniors on the team was in 1995, when Kim Schroll was the only senior on the roster. That year, the Tar Heels went 24-0 and won the NCAA Championship. Junior Carey Fetting-Smith and sophomore Naomi Weatherald have been selected as captains by their teammates, but the entire squad has reacted well to the lopsided breakdown of classes. "We have a fun dynamic - everyone knows we'll be together again next year," Shelton said. "Still, there's the urgency to do well this year. My feeling is that the team is empowered by the fact that more of them need to share leadership roles. Having no seniors has provided opportunities for the rest of them."
Back to Michigan
The game is a homecoming for administrative assistant Shelley Johnson, who played for Michigan in 1996 and '97, earning All-Big Ten and all-region honors. Johnson, who also earned a master's degree at Michigan and was part of that staff in 1999, is in her first year at UNC. Her younger sister Stephanie is a senior on the Michigan squad.
