University of North Carolina Athletics
Top-Ranked Tar Heels Host ODU, Penn State
September 13, 2007 | Field Hockey
Sept. 13, 2007
The North Carolina field hockey team, now ranked No. 1 in the nation, will host a pair of nonconference rivals this weekend at Francis E. Henry Stadium. UNC takes on No. 13 Old Dominion Friday at 6 p.m. and No. 7 Penn State Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Tar Heels, 6-0 this season, moved up one spot to No. 1 in this week's national coaches' poll. UNC is now receiving 913 total points, just ahead of Maryland with 911 points. The Terrapins (6-0) are the defending national champions and sat atop the first two polls of 2007. Maryland is still getting more first-place votes with 24, and Carolina is receiving the other 23. No. 3 Connecticut is also 6-0.
"It's always flattering to be voted No. 1, but what's important is where we are at the end of the season," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "We were 6-0 at this point last year, then we lost our next two games. We've got to continue to work hard and continue to improve."
Last season, UNC suffered a total of four losses to its next two opponents. Old Dominion won both of last season's matchups, 3-1 in Chapel Hill on Sept. 16 and 3-1 in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 28. Penn State ended Carolina's 2006 season, handing the Tar Heels a 4-3 loss in a first-round NCAA Tournament game. The Nittany Lions also won the regular-season matchup, 2-1 on Oct. 13 in University Park, Pa.
ODU comes into Friday's game 1-4 with losses to Penn State, Maryland, No. 15 Michigan and Connecticut and a win over No. 17 Virginia. Penn State is 4-2 with its losses coming to Connecticut and to No. 8 James Madison on penalty strokes. The Nittany Lions play West Chester on Friday before heading to Chapel Hill.
"Both ODU and Penn State have played very difficult schedules and their records, especially ODU's, aren't a good indicator of what strong teams they are," Shelton said. "These matchups will be very, very challenging for us and I'm looking forward to seeing how our team reacts."
There is no charge for admission to Henry Stadium. Those who can't be at the games in person - or who want to watch the replay later - can catch the action on ACC Select. For more information, go to www.accselect.com.
