Tar Heels Claim Championship Game Spot With Win Over BC

Friday, November 6

Charlottesville, Va.

3:30 PM

North Carolina

(16-2)

Boston College (ACC Championship semifinal)

(12-8)

Boston College

North Carolina

November 7, 2015 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 North Carolina edged No. 11 Boston College 3-2 Friday afternoon in the Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship semifinals to earn a spot in Sunday's title game. The Tar Heels (16-2) will face top-ranked, undefeated Syracuse at 1 p.m. at the University of Virginia's University Hall Turf Field for the conference crown.

“I'm delighted for our group to advance to the ACC Championship game,” UNC coach Karen Shelton said. “I've got to give a lot of credit to Boston College – they gave us everything we could handle. I love their spirit, and they pushed us to our limits.”

UNC led early after scoring its first two goals in quick succession in the first half. In the 13th minute, two players who had come off the bench as subs combined to put the Tar Heels up 1-0. Freshman Austyn Cuneo sent a ball across the cage from the left side and sophomore Sam Night, positioned behind the keeper, deflected it in for the Tar Heels' first goal and Night's fourth of the season. The assist was the first of Cuneo's Carolina career.

Less than two minutes later, the Tar Heels added another, on their second penalty corner of the day. Senior Emily Wold, the stick stopper, pushed the ball left to classmate Nina Notman, who took a hard shot from the top of the arc. The ball got through traffic in the circle and then bounced off Boston College keeper Leah Settipane and into the cage.

BC answered in the 20th minute, when Eryn McCoy stole the ball just outside the circle and carried it in for a shot that got past the Tar Heel defense to make the score 2-1. In the 45th minute, the Eagles tied the score when Frederique Haverhals sent a long ball into the circle and AshLeigh Sebia got a stick on it and deflected it up and into the cage.

The game was tied at 2-2 for the next 17 minutes before Major, who has had her share of heroics on UVA's blue turf this season, got the go-ahead goal. In the Tar Heels' regular-season game in Charlottesville last month, she scored five goals, equal to the program record, in an 8-3 win over the Cavaliers.

Major didn't score in Thursday's first-round win over Louisville, but came up with a huge score on Friday. Positioned in front of the cage, she got her stick on a pass from freshman Malin Evert on the left side and deflected it up and just inside the right post to make the score 3-2 in the 62nd minute. The goal was her team-high 16th of the season.

“It was a little bit like BC's game-tying goal today, a hard ball in for a deflection,” Shelton said. “It's really tough to defend. It's one of Gab's specialties and it was good to see her get a big one in.”

With just under two minutes to play, BC pulled Settipane in favor of another field player but wasn't able to even up the game and reach the championship for the first time in school history. Instead, the Tar Heels will play in the title game for the 22nd time in the event's 33-year history.

The championship game will be UNC's second matchup of the season with Syracuse, which advanced Friday by beating host Virginia 3-2 in overtime in the first semifinal. UNC and SU met earlier this season, Sept. 12 in Syracuse, with the Orange winning 4-2. After wins over ranked teams on back-to-back days, Shelton knows her team's biggest challenge is still ahead.

“Right now it's about rest and recovery – we'll look at some of the issues that Boston College gave us, and of course we'll look to Syracuse because they pose a whole host of other problems that we have to deal with,” she said. “It's a grueling tournament.”

Carolina is playing for its 19th ACC title. The Tar Heels last won the conference crown in 2012.

No. 3 UNC 3, No. 11 Boston College 2

Scoring: UNC – Sam Night (Austyn Cuneo), 12:51; UNC – Nina Notman (Emily Wold), 14:23; BC – Eryn McCoy, 19:47; BC – AshLeigh Sebia (Frederique Haverhals), 44:14; UNC – Gab Major (Malin Evert), 61:49

Shots: UNC 12 (5/7), BC 14 (8/6)

Penalty corners: UNC 4 (2/2), BC 5 (4/1)

Goalkeeper saves: UNC 5 (Shannon Johnson, 70:00, 5 saves, 2 goals allowed); BC 7 (Leah Settipane, 68:11, 7 saves, 3 goals allowed; Team, 1:49, 0 saves, 0 goals allowed)

Records: UNC 16-2, BC 12-8

UNC starters: Shannon Johnson, Lauren Moyer, Kristy Bernatchez, Emily Wold, Nina Notman, Ashley Hoffman, Malin Evert, Julia Young, Casey Di Nardo, Eva van't Hoog, Gab Major