University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
William & Mary
No. 6 Tar Heels Earn Season's Fifth Shutout
October 1, 2006 | Field Hockey
Oct. 1, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With goals from four different players and a solid game from freshman goalkeeper Brianna O'Donnell on her 19th birthday, the North Carolina field hockey team shut out visiting William & Mary 4-0 on Sunday afternoon at Francis E. Henry Stadium. The sixth-ranked Tar Heels improved to 9-3 overall with the win, while the No. 18 Tribe fell to 8-3.
"I felt like this was a big game for us after a disappointing loss yesterday," said UNC coach Karen Shelton, whose team fell to No. 2 Wake Forest in overtime on Saturday. "It's not easy to bounce back from a heartbreaker, so I was proud of the team.
"William & Mary is a strong, dangerous team, and I was happy to get a shutout on Brianna O'Donnell's birthday - it was good for her to get some touches and get the goose egg."
UNC got the only goal it would need on a penalty corner 13:49 into the game, when junior Alli Tanner deflected in a shot by senior Brooke Miller to put the Tar Heels on the scoreboard. With just under four minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore Britt van Beek made it 2-0 with her sixth goal of the year. She took a pass from freshman Illse Davids and sent a hard shot past William & Mary goalkeeper Gwen Hunter, who was running out to defend on the play.
The Tar Heels got two more goals in the second half. Ten minutes into the period, Miller bounced a shot from near the top of the circle into the goal for an unassisted score. With 11:57 remaining in the half, UNC struck again just after Kristen Gillis took over in goal for the Tribe. Davids received a pass from junior Liz Morris and sent it past the new keeper to put UNC up by the final margin.
For the game, UNC had 18 shots - nine in each half - to six by William & Mary. The Tar Heels had eight penalty corners, while the Tribe had four, all of them in the first half. Hunter and Gillis each made one save, while O'Donnell finished with five in her fifth shutout of the season, the third in the last four games.
The game was the final one at home for UNC until Oct. 29. Before that, the team plays five road games, beginning with an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Saturday at No. 7 Boston College. "We know we have tough road games coming up, but I feel like that's a good challenge for our group," Shelton said. "We don't want it to be easy. We want to be working in the regular season to prepare us for the postseason, so to go to Boston College and have to play them on their field is a good opportunity and we're looking forward to it."
No. 6 North Carolina 4, No. 18 William & Mary 0
Scoring: UNC - Alli Tanner (Brooke Miller), 13:49; UNC - Britt van Beek (Illse Davids), 31:19; UNC - Miller, 44:28; UNC - Davids (Liz Morris), 58:03
Shots: UNC 18, WM 6
Penalty corners: UNC 8, WM 4
Goalkeeper saves: UNC (Brianna O'Donnell) 5, WM 2 (Gwen Hunter 1, Kristen Gillis 1)
Records: UNC 8-4 (0-3 ACC), WM 8-3 (2-0 CAA)
UNC starters: Illse Davids, Riley Foster, Brooke Miller, Heather Kendell, Britt van Beek, Jesse Gey, Ashley Judge, Karen Mann, Xan Funk, Danielle Forword, Brianna O'Donnell
UNC substitutes: Stewi Downer, Alli Tanner, Melanie Brill, Kate Scholl, Hilary Hartman, Kate Howard, Liz Morris
