University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Stanford (NCAA First Round)
Tar Heels Advance With First-Round Shutout Over Stanford
November 12, 2016 | Field Hockey
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Fourth-ranked North Carolina opened NCAA Field Hockey Tournament play Saturday with a 3-0 victory over 12th-ranked Stanford on a chilly afternoon at Maryland's Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. The first-round win moves the Tar Heels on to Sunday's second round, when they'll face the host Maryland Terrapins at 2 p.m. A spot in next weekend's NCAA final four is on the line.
“I'm very happy our team was able to advance,” said UNC coach Karen Shelton, who has led Carolina to a record 58 NCAA Tournament victories in her 36 seasons at the program's helm. “Stanford is a very athletic team and we were fortunate to get on the board early. It gave us a little bit of a cushion and we were able to keep the lead.”
The Tar Heels got the only goal they'd need just 3:30 into the action. On UNC's second penalty corner opportunity of the game, the initial play went awry and the ball rolled outside the arc, but Carolina kept working and directed it back in for a shot that was blocked. The rebound came back to sophomore Eva van't Hoog, who sent a sharp shot past Stanford keeper Kelsey Bing for a 1-0 lead.
Whereas the Tar Heels' first goal came off a busted penalty corner that they made the best of, the second came off a corner that was executed perfectly. In the 27th minute, sophomore Ashley Hoffman delivered the scoring shot hard and true, with sophomore Malin Evert on the push-in and senior Julia Young on the stick stop.
UNC's final goal came on the last play of the game. The Tar Heels drew their seventh corner of the game as the final seconds wound down and took it with zeros on the clock. Carolina's initial shot was blocked but senior Emma Bozek gathered the rebound to the left of the goal and shot for a 3-0 final score.
Carolina led 17-3 in shots, with 11 of those taken in the second half. UNC had seven corners to Stanford's two, both of which came in the first half.
The shutout is UNC's fifth of the fall. Senior Shannon Johnson played all 70 minutes in goal and made one save, and the Tar Heels also got a defensive save from Hoffman.
“I'm proud we were able to get a shutout in a big game like this one,” Shelton said. “I feel really good about our team moving forward.”
Maryland took on UMass in the day's first game in College Park and advanced with a 2-1 win in penalty strokes. Sunday's matchup is the first-ever meeting in a second-round game for the Tar Heels and Terrapins, but they've met in NCAA Tournament play on eight previous occasions, with each team winning four times. The last meeting was in 2011, when Maryland beat UNC 3-2 in overtime in the NCAA Championship game.
“We know we have a tall task in facing Maryland at their place,” Shelton said. “We're a huge underdog. But we're proud to have the opportunity to compete and we're looking forward to a great game tomorrow.”
The Tar Heels are making their 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, more than any other school. The matchup with Maryland will be UNC's 85th NCAA Tournament game, also a record. The Tar Heels lead all schools in NCAA Tournament wins, a total that currently stands at 58.
No. 4 North Carolina 3, No. 12 Stanford 0
Scoring: UNC – Eva van't Hoog, 3:30; UNC – Ashley Hoffman (Malin Evert, Julia Young); UNC – Emma Bozek, 70:00
Shots: UNC 17 (6/11), SU 3 (2/1)
Penalty corners: UNC 7 (4/3), SU 2 (2/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 1 (Shannon Johnson, 70:00, 0 goals allowed, 1 save); SU 6 (Kelsey Bing, 70:00, 3 goals allowed, 6 saves)
Defensive saves: UNC 1 (Ashley Hoffman)
Records: UNC 18-5, SU 14-6
UNC starters: Shannon Johnson, Lauren Moyer, Kristy Bernatchez, Eef Andriessen, Ashley Hoffman, Emma Bozek, Malin Evert, Julia Young, Morgan Goetz, Eva van't Hoog, Gab Major
UNC substitutes: Sam Night, Catherine Hayden, Marissa Creatore, Megan DuVernois
