University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
Tar Heels Fall To No. 1 Maryland In Overtime
October 5, 2013 | Field Hockey
Carolina fell to 8-2 (1-2 ACC) with the loss, while Maryland improved to 11-0 (3-0 ACC). The defeat was UNC's second in a row, both coming in overtime. The Tar Heels' last game before facing Maryland was a 3-2 double overtime loss to Duke eight days ago.
"This was a great intercollegiate field hockey game," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I thought last weeks game was great, and this was even better. I'm proud of our team - I thought we made significant steps in our development. I thought we corrected some things that we needed to correct."
On an unseasonably warm day in Chapel Hill, much of the game was a defensive standoff. Maryland leads the nation in scoring and UNC ranks third, but Saturday's game was scoreless at halftime after the teams combined for four shots in the first 35 minutes.
UNC finally broke the deadlock in the 48th minute. On a penalty corner, junior Samantha Travers' initial shot was saved, but senior Marta Malmberg grabbed the rebound and put it in the net to give her team a 1-0 lead.
Carolina held the advantage until the 63rd minute, when UM evened the score on Witmer's first goal of the day. The U.S. National Team member got her stick on a ball from freshman Mieke Hayn and deflected it past UNC goalkeeper Sassi Ammer to tie the game at 1-1.
Against Duke, the teams played through two scoreless 15-minute periods before the game was decided in a shootout. This time, the bonus play would not go on nearly as long. Carolina got off two shots early in the overtime period, but saw one go wide and one get blocked. With 9:42 on the clock, Witmer carried the ball downfield and sent it past Ammer for the gamewinner. "Witmer is a big-time player and she made a big-time play," Shelton said.
On the day, Carolina totaled a season-low nine shots and Maryland had six. Each team had three penalty corners. Maryland goalkeeper Natalie Hunter made five saves and Ammer had one for UNC.
"I thought every player fought hard," Shelton said. "We were a little short-handed because of some injuries, with Charlotte out and Abby Frey out. Our depth is part of our strength, so to lose depth today was significant. But in saying that, some of our younger players had to play more minutes and they rose to the occasion - they played great, they grew up. So, I'm disappointed to lose the game but really, really pleased with how they're developing as a team. This was an important step for us."
Junior Charlotte Craddock missed the game with a strained muscle in her right leg and is listed as day-to-day. Frey, also a junior, was sidelined after a scooter accident Friday on the UNC campus. She will miss this weekend's games and be evaluated again next week.
The Tar Heels will return to the field less than 24 hours after leaving it, hosting California on Sunday. Game time at Francis E. Henry Stadium is 1 p.m. There is no charge for admission to the game.
No. 1 Maryland 2, No. 3 North Carolina 1, OT
Scoring: UNC - Marta Malmberg, 47:25; UM - Jill Witmer (Mieke Hayn), 62:43; UM - Witmer, 75:18
Shots: UNC 9 (3/4/2), UM 6 (1/4/1)
Penalty corners: UNC 3 (1/2/0), UM 3 (0/3/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 1 (Sassi Ammer, 75:18, 1 save, 2 goals allowed); UM 5 (Natalie Hunter, 75:18, 5 saves, 1 goal allowed)
Defensive saves: UNC 1 (Meghan Drake)
Records: UNC 8-2 (1-2 ACC), UM 11-0 (3-0 ACC)
UNC starters: Sassi Ammer, Loren Shealy, Samantha Travers, Meghan Drake, Emily Wold, Nina Notman, Sinead Loughran, Emma Bozek, Julia Young, Casey Di Nardo, Janne Grove
UNC substitutes: Kristy Bernatchez, Rachel Magerman, Lauren Moyer, Marta Malmberg
