Win Over Wake Caps Stadium Dedication Day For UNC

Saturday, October 6

Chapel Hill

1:00 PM

North Carolina

(12-0 (5-0ACC))

Wake Forest

(6-6 (1-3ACC))

Wake Forest

North Carolina

Seniors Malin Evert (left) and Morgan Goetz

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

October 6, 2018 | Field Hockey

Box Score Watch Highlights Photo Gallery

By: Dana Gelin

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In the first game at Karen Shelton Stadium following the facility's official dedication on Saturday morning, the top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team beat No. 16 Wake Forest 5-1 to stay undefeated and improve to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

"It's a very special day for the program and for women's athletics here at Carolina," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I'm really happy for our team that they got this big win, and I told them it was a historic win for them: since Louisville and Syracuse joined the league this is the first time we've clinched the top seed in the ACC Tournament. It was important."

It's the first time UNC has won five ACC games in a season since 2012, which is also the last time the Tar Heels earned the top seed in the conference tournament.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, in drizzling rain, University officials and program supporters gathered in tents outside the team building for the official dedication of Karen Shelton Stadium, where UNC has played throughout the 2018 season. Already in uniform, the Tar Heels stood at the back of the crowd during the ceremony to cheer their coach, gathered on the field for photos, then headed for the locker room to get in game mode. Two hours later they took to the turf and showed they're already very much at home in Shelton Stadium.

Junior Catherine Hayden scored the gamewinner in the 18^th minute of play. She got the ball close to the left post and popped a shot past Wake keeper Isla Bint's right shoulder and into the cage for a 1-0 lead that the Tar Heels took into the halftime locker room.

"At halftime, we wanted to win the second half," Shelton said. "That was our focus and with our depth I think we wore them down a little bit."

On a penalty corner two minutes into the second half, junior Yentl Leemans stopped the ball for senior Ashley Hoffman. Instead of shooting it, Hoffman passed the ball to her left then faked a shot as senior Malin Evert rifled a real one into the cage to make it 2-0.

In the 43^rd minute, the Tar Heels had another penalty corner. They failed to stop the insert and the ball rolled past the top of the circle, where sophomore Eva Smolenaars corralled it. She passed to Leemans who carried it into the circle near the right baseline and sent a cross to Evert, who was all alone and sent a high shot into the cage for a 3-0 lead.

In the 46^th minute, freshman Erin Matson got her stick on a Wake ball coming out of the circle and the disrupted pass went to Abby Pitcairn, also a freshman. Pitcairn sent the ball back into the circle to Matson, who drove along the left baseline. When the Wake keeper dove to stop the play, Matson maneuvered around her and shot into the empty cage for a 4-0 lead.

In the 47^th minute, the Demon Deacons got on the board on a penalty corner, one of two they had in the second half and three for the game. Jule Grashoff had the initial shot and Elisha Evans deflected the ball into the cage to make the score 4-1.

With just under two minutes to play, the Tar Heels added one more. On a penalty corner, Matson tried to get off a shot from the left side of the cage but couldn't. She took the ball out along the baseline then passed back in to sophomore Cassie Sumfest, who had missed the two previous games with a broken finger but came off the bench to play Saturday. Sumfest controlled the ball, spun and shot into the right side of the cage for the 5-1 final score. "She did a great job and helped the team today," Shelton said.

UNC finished with 27 shots to Wake's eight, and eight penalty corners to the Demon Deacons' three.

"We're very proud of the team," Shelton said. "Wake Forest is a formidable opponent. If you give up too many corners they're going to score goals. Fortunately they got just the one today.

"I thought our team played well. Hayden's goal, the first one, was a big one. I was pleased to get so many shots. It was a very competitive game and I'm thrilled to come away with a victory considering that there could been some distractions."

In addition to the stadium dedication, Saturday was UNC's annual Vs. Cancer game. For the third year in a row the Tar Heels partnered with the Vs. Cancer foundation to raise funds to fight childhood cancers. The team warmed up in Vs. Cancer t-shirts and played in yellow wristbands and hair ribbons, echoing the foundation's signature color.

For more on the fundraising effort, click here.

After a postgame tailgate with families and friends, the Tar Heels boarded a bus bound for Lynchburg, Va., where they'll take on No. 19 Liberty Sunday at 1 p.m. "It's a quick turnaround and a great challenge for our team," Shelton said. "Liberty is having a fantastic year. I think it will be a great game."

No. 1 UNC 5, No. 16 Wake Forest 1
Scoring: UNC – Catherine Hayden, 17:38; UNC – Malin Evert (Ashley Hoffman), 37:34; UNC – Evert (Yentl Leemans), 42:24; UNC – Erin Matson (Abby Pitcairn), 45:21; WFU – Elisha Evans (Jule Grashoff), 46:44; UNC – Cassie Sumfest (Matson), 68:18
Shots: UNC 27 (9/18), WFU 8 (2/6)
Penalty Corners: UNC 8 (2/6), WFU 3 (1/2)
Goalkeeper Saves: UNC 5 (Amanda Hendry, 64:15, 1 goal allowed, 4 saves; Alex Halpin, 5:45, 0 goals allowed, 1 save); WFU 9 (Isla Bint, 45:00, 4 goals allowed, 2 saves; Cat O'Connor, 25:00, 1 goal allowed, 7 saves)
Defensive Saves: WFU 2 (Anne van Hoof 2)
Records: UNC 12-0 (5-0 ACC), WFU 6-6 (1-3 ACC)

UNC Starters: Amanda Hendry, Erin Matson, Catherine Hayden, Ashley Hoffman, Malin Evert, Morgan Goetz, Yentl Leemans, Eva van't Hoog, Courtnie Williamson, Megan DuVernois, Marissa Creatore
UNC Subs: Meredith Sholder, Hannah Griggs, Bryn Boylan, Cassie Sumfest, Feline Guenther, Abby Pitcairn, Eva Smolenaars, Alex Halpin