University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
Top-Ranked UNC Shuts Out No. 2 Maryland, 3-0
October 20, 2007 | Field Hockey
Oct. 20, 2007
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior Alli Tanner scored the gamewinner in the 56th minute of play and the top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team rolled on to a 3-0 win against second-ranked Maryland Saturday at Francis E. Henry Stadium. UNC improved to 17-0 on the season and finished Atlantic Coast Conference play 5-0, locking up the top seed in the ACC Tournament. Maryland fell to 16-1 overall and 4-1 in league play, leaving the Tar Heels as the last undefeated team in the NCAA Division I ranks.
The UNC defense did not allow Maryland a penalty corner or even a shot in the game. "We played with discipline and poise and composure," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "A lot of times you know what you want to do but you're not capable of doing it for 70 minutes. We were able to do it for 70 minutes. Rachel Dawson is our field general, but I thought the supporting back three - Melanie Brill, Riley Foster and Xan Funk - played great."
The shutout was UNC's 11th of the season. Five of those have come in Atlantic Coast Conference play, as Carolina has outscored its league opponents 18-0. (North Carolina beat Wake Forest 2-1 in overtime on Aug. 31 in a game that did not count toward the conference standings. The Sept. 29 meeting in Winston-Salem, N.C., which UNC won 5-0, was this season's designated ACC matchup.)
Saturday's game was scoreless at halftime, despite 14 shots and seven penalty corners by the Tar Heels. "My message at halftime was, `Great job'," Shelton said. "I thought we played exceptionally well in the first half. I told the team to keep doing what they were doing, that the game was now 35 minutes instead of 70. We didn't want to change a thing, other than getting the ball by the goalie. I thought Kathryn Masson played an outstanding game. She had some impressive saves. I give her a lot of credit and I give my kids credit for maintaining their composure and just grinding it out."
With 14:18 remaining in the game, Tanner finally broke the deadlock and got UNC on the board. A forward from Lancaster, Pa., she launched a shot from the left side of the cage that hit the boards just inside the right post. The goal, which came on a pass from freshman Katelyn Falgowski, was Tanner's sixth of the season and her first gamewinner.
"When you're in a battle like that, whoever scores first has the obvious mental advantage," Shelton said. "It felt really good to get that goal."
The Tar Heels added two more goals in the final three minutes of the game. With 2:49 remaining, Falgowski scored her fifth of the season, taking a Britt van Beek pass from the right side and sending it just left of Masson, who finished with nine saves. Just over a minute later, senior Jesse Gey sent a hard shot from the middle of the circle. Masson managed to get a hand on it but couldn't keep it from going into the left side of the cage.
Carolina opponents are now managing just 4.1 shots per game. The win over Maryland, which came into the game ranked third nationally in scoring with 4.1 goals per outing, marked the fourth time this fall that the Tar Heels have held their opponent without a shot. "I knew we were capable of this," said Foster, a back from Fort Worth, Texas, "but it was really nice to see us put it all together."
UNC finishes the regular season next Saturday with a game at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. After that, the Tar Heels will turn their attention to the ACC Tournament, which will be hosted by Boston College in Newton, Mass., on Nov. 1, 2 and 4. As the No. 1 seed, Carolina will receive a first-round bye and will open play in the semifinals on Nov. 2.
No. 1 North Carolina 3, No. 2 Maryland 0
Scoring: UNC - Alli Tanner (Katelyn Falgowski) 55:42; UNC - Falgowski (Britt van Beek), 67:11; UNC - Jesse Gey, 68:19
Penalty corners: UNC 10, UM 0
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 0 (Brianna O'Donnell), UM 9 (Kathryn Masson)
Records: UNC 17-0 (5-0 ACC), Maryland 16-1 (4-1 ACC)
UNC starters: Brianna O'Donnell, Illse Davids, Riley Foster, Rachel Dawson, Melanie Brill, Britt van Beek, Jesse Gey, Laree Beans, Xan Funk, Danielle Forword, Katelyn Falgowski
UNC substitutes: Alli Tanner, Kiki Norbruis, Heather Kendell, Kate Scholl, Hilary Hartman, Elizabeth Drazdowski, Liz Morris
