GoHeels Exclusive: A Special Season For the Tar Heels

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Three days before the North Carolina field hockey team's season opener in late August, Ashley Hoffman stood outside the team building at Karen Shelton Stadium, answering questions about the upcoming campaign.

She recognized then the Tar Heels' immense potential. Other people had already pointed that out to her and her teammates countless times. But she also expressed one concern, about how boasting a roster so deep and so skilled and without a true weakness could lead to complacency.

"We had such high expectations," said Hoffman when asked recently about her preseason nervousness. "But I don't think anyone is ever comfortable with where we are."

You could sense that more than ever Sunday at Karen Shelton Stadium, where UNC handily beat Wake Forest 7-2 in the ACC championship game. Carolina's 21st league title never seemed in doubt, not after the home team seized a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes. Nor did it when the Demon Deacons entered halftime trailing just 4-2. But the Tar Heels never relented.

They continued asserting their dominance, scoring the most goals by any team in an ACC championship game since their 8-1 win over Maryland in 1989. And in the end, they emerged as the first top seed to claim the conference crown since the ACC expanded and the tournament moved into its current format in 2014.

When the final buzzer sounded, the players chose not to dogpile. That, they hope, will happen at a later date. Still, they took some time to celebrate what coach Karen Shelton called a magical season so far.

"We're not finished yet," said Shelton, who has led UNC to a 19-0 record in her 38th season at the helm. "But to go through the regular season undefeated and to win the ACC Tournament is extremely special for us."

For every milestone Carolina has achieved this season, during which it has outscored opponents 88-13, Shelton has kept her players from becoming overconfident. She's constantly stressed how they still have room to grow. Potential, she says, doesn't mean anything.

As much as Shelton preaches that, she knows it's not in this team's makeup to become satisfied with its accomplishments to date.

"They are humble, they are hardworking, they are focused and committed," she said. "They're doing everything we ask and more. On days we give them off, they come out here and work. It's really, really impressive. We don't tell them to, we don't encourage it, we don't say, 'Well, I think you should do this.' They do it on their own."

The adversity the Tar Heels faced last season built such character.

With its new on-campus facility under construction, the team spent the entire 2017 campaign without a home field. UNC hosted matches at Duke's facility in Durham and also bused there for practices.

The added travel often proved trying. Yet the players bonded over their shared struggles. They've seamlessly maintained that close-knit environment this season, with 19 letterwinners from last season still on the roster. Gab Major, the only senior in 2017, also remains with the program as a student assistant coach.

"Other teams, there's been cliques, there's, you know, girls, drama," said Hoffman, the ACC Tournament MVP for the second straight season. "This team is a family, and I think that's what's driven us and motivated us this whole season."

It's also created a sense of selflessness on the field.

Although Erin Matson, Catherine Hayden and Hoffman have each scored double-digit goals, seven players have tallied five or more. UNC ranks first nationally with 4.63 goals per game. It has also averaged 3.37 assists, currently the team's highest mark since at least 1999. The only Carolina squads to average more than 3.3 in that span were the 2007 and 2009 national champions.

Across two ACC tournament games, seven players combined for 12 goals. On the last one, Shelton offered Matson the chance to attempt a penalty stroke. But the freshmen declined. Having already scored twice, she wanted Megan DuVernois to take it, and the junior converted.

"That's the kind of team we have," Shelton said. "It's really nice, and I'm just so proud."

She should be. Her players have every right to be, as well. Amid lofty expectations, they've stayed committed and composed. Now they're champions. And refreshingly, they celebrated Sunday as such, soaking up every photo op and belting out "Hark the Sound."

But they knew they could only enjoy the moment for so long.

The top-seeded Tar Heels open NCAA Tournament play Friday with a first-round match against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between William & Mary and Monmouth. Win then and again Sunday, and they'll return to the final four for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons.

"I realize how lucky I am," said Matson, the ACC Freshman and Offensive Player of the Year. "I think it's kind of been a perfect season so far with our record and with how we've been continuing to grow as a team. And we're not planning on stopping that anytime soon."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Megan DuVernois

Catherine Hayden

Ashley Hoffman

Gab Major

Erin Matson

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