UNC Earns Final Four Trip With Shutout Of Maryland

Sunday, November 13

College Park, Md.

2:00 PM

North Carolina

Maryland (NCAA Second Round)

November 13, 2016 | Field Hockey

By: UNC Athletic Communications

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Fourth-ranked North Carolina earned a spot in the field hockey final four in emphatic fashion Sunday, shutting out second-ranked Maryland 3-0 in an NCAA Tournament second-round matchup on the Terrapins' home field. With consecutive 3-0 wins at UM's Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex – the Tar Heels beat No. 12 Stanford Saturday in a first-round game – Carolina (19-5) is headed to the NCAA semifinals for the eighth year in a row and the 21st time in program history. Sophomore midfielder Ashley Hoffman scored twice and senior goalkeeper Shannon Johnson earned her second shutout in as many days to lead the Tar Heels to the win.

“I'm absolutely thrilled for the team,” said UNC coach Karen Shelton, who has led her squad to the final four more times than any coach in NCAA field hockey history. “Only four teams get to be busy this week and it's something to celebrate.”

UNC will face Connecticut on Friday in Norfolk, Va., and Delaware and Princeton will meet in the other semifinal game at Old Dominion's L.R. Hill Complex. The winners play on Sunday (Nov. 20) for the NCAA crown. Carolina has won on six previous occasions, most recently in 2009.

Although the Tar Heels are headed for the NCAA semifinals for the eighth year in a row, this marks the first time since 2009 that UNC reached the final four by winning on the road. The top four seeds host and Carolina has been among that group the past six years. But this year, the Tar Heels failed to earn a seed and were slotted for College Park, where Maryland (18-5) was the tournament's No. 2 overall seed. In Saturday's first round games, the Terrapins played through two overtimes before advancing in a penalty shootout against UMass to set up Sunday's matchup.

“Credit to Maryland, who fought incredibly hard coming off a double overtime shootout game yesterday,'” Shelton said. “I also give a lot of credit to our defense – I'm so proud of Shannon Johnson, who had big saves early in the game. Once we got a goal, we had a little cushion, and that allows our team to play with a little bit more freedom. I think we had phases of the game where Maryland was putting incredible pressure on us and we held solid.”

Last season as a Tar Heel freshman, Hoffman scored the gamewinner in a 1-0 victory over Michigan that sent UNC to the final four. History repeated itself this year as the now-sophomore from Mohnton, Pa., put Carolina up for good with a penalty corner goal in the 25th minute of play.

This time, though, Hoffman added another goal in the 38th minute. Both times she sent her drag flick thumping into the boards in the lower left corner of the cage, assisted on each occasion by sophomore Malin Evert (push-in) and senior Julia Young (stick stop).

UNC's defense got its toughest test midway through the second half, when Maryland drew three consecutive corners and got off a shot on each. The Tar Heel back line held tight, with Johnson saving the first and the corner defense team (Kristy Bernatchez, Morgan Goetz, Hoffman and Young) blocking the other two. “Yes, we got three goals,” Shelton said, “but I credit our defense with getting us to the final four.”

With 6:42 to play and the shadows lengthening across the turf, Maryland pulled its goalkeeper in favor of an extra field player. The Terrapins did the same thing on Saturday against UMass and were able to get the tying goal. This time, however, the UNC defense held tight and senior Lauren Moyer scored her team-high 22nd goal on a breakaway, shooting into an empty cage with 5:36 to play put an exclamation point on what the Tar Heels felt was their most complete game of the year.

“After the game all of us were like, 'THIS is how we play field hockey,'” Hoffman said. “That's really exciting going into the final four. We feel like we're peaking right now and that's an awesome feeling.”

No. 4 UNC 3, No. 2 Maryland 0

Scoring: UNC – Ashley Hoffman (Malin Evert, Julia Young), 24:09; UNC – Hoffman (Evert, Young), 37:43; UNC – Lauren Moyer, 64:24

Shots: UNC 11 (3/8), UM 8 (4/4)

Penalty corners: UNC 4 (1/3), UM 5 (0/5)

Goalkeeper saves: UNC 4 (Shannon Johnson, 70:00, 0 goals allowed, 4 saves); UM 4 (Sarah Holliday, 40:38, 2 goals allowed, 2 saves; Sarah Bates, 28:15, 0 goals allowed, 2 saves; Team, 1:07, 1 goal allowed, 0 saves)

Records: UNC 19-5, Maryland 18-5

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