University of North Carolina Athletics
Road Warriors
September 23, 2015 | Field Hockey
Note: This article originally appeared in the Sept. 22 issue of CAROLINA, the official magazine of Carolina Athletics and the Rams Club.
by Logan Smith
“The seniors have been doing a great job of leading the way,” Carolina field hockey coach Karen Shelton said following the Tar Heels' 3-0 win over Miami (Ohio) on Sunday. The team has been faced with a tough non-conference schedule to date, having played six consecutive away games to open the 2015 season.
The Heels' record to date stands at 7-1, with the team's only loss a defeat at the hands of No. 2 Syracuse on the road. “Emily Wold is a world class player, and Nina Notman is stepping up and really providing some tremendous leadership,” Shelton said when asked about the team's experience on its road trip. Shelton had nothing but praise for her experienced leaders.
That praise was earned last weekend with the Heels taking both home games, shutting out Louisville on Friday before blanking the Redhawks on Sunday. The UNC defense was stout and goalie Shannon Johnson was a wall in front of the cage all weekend. Team captain and U.S. National Team member Emily Wold was the first to break open the scoring against the Miami squad with a quick strike into the cage with 23 minutes left in the first half. Wold followed up her initial goal effort with an assist on the team's second goal.
When asked about the tough schedule that the Heels have faced so far, Coach Shelton explained, “I like to challenge our team, we had those three long weekends away, they were tiring physically and mentally but it was also good for our bonding.”
Both Wold and Shelton commented on the team's ability to bond together on the lengthy road trips. “We were together a lot. We had some travel delays and we were together a lot. I think this team is very close knit,” Shelton said.
Grueling road trips always have an effect on teams, and when you are winning the way the Tar Heels are, that effect is positive team chemistry. “I think its definitely helped with team chemistry,” Wold said. “We are all stuck on a bus together or at the hotels and all of us really love to just hang out. When we get free time, we like to just chill and get to know each other by doing karaoke on the bus or stuff like that.”
Although the team is performing well, Shelton expects that the team must get better in order to compete for a national championship. “This weekend was the best stretch we've played so far… hopefully we'll just keep growing and keep progressing the way we want to,” she said. The field hockey standouts from UNC should be able to continue to progress their play as well as their team chemistry throughout the season through the mixture of senior leadership and young talent on the roster.
The Tar Heels continue their season with a home game Friday at 4 p.m. against ACC foe No. 11 Boston College.
