Hayden's Hat Trick Leads Tar Heels In Shutout At Penn

Sunday, September 2

Philadelphia, Pa.

1:30 PM

North Carolina

(4-0)

Penn

(1-1)

North Carolina

Penn

Catherine Hayden scored three goals Sunday in an 8-0 win at Penn.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 2, 2018 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

PHILADELPHIA – The second-ranked North Carolina field hockey team produced its highest scoring output of the season while earning its second-straight shutout Sunday afternoon in a 8-0 win at Penn. Playing at the Quakers' Ellen Vagelos Field in the second day of the inaugural Conference Crossover event, the Tar Heels were led by a hat trick from junior Catherine Hayden as they improved to 4-0 on the fall. Penn, which was coming of an overtime win over Wake Forest Friday in Day 1 of the Atlantic Coast Conference-Ivy League event, fell to 1-1.

UNC had scored a total of eight goals in the three games leading up to Sunday's contest. Friday in Carolina's first game of the Conference Crossover, the Tar Heels beat No. 10 Princeton 1-0. After some key adjustments, Sunday was a different story, with UNC goals coming early and often.

"I'm very pleased with the weekend," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "We were able to hold two very good teams to zero goals and not many opportunities. We want to be a strong defensive team and pass the ball – we moved the ball well against Princeton and very well against Penn today."

Senior Ashley Hoffman, the team captain, put UNC up by two early on, scoring on penalty corners in the fifth minute and the 20th minute of play. The back from Mohnton, Pa., leads the Tar Heels in goals this season with five. Freshman Erin Matson and junior Yentl Leemans assisted on both goals.

Hayden then got her first of the game (and the season), scoring in the 33^rd minute on an assist from sophomore Meredith Sholder to put Carolina up 3-0 at halftime.

Junior Marissa Creatore notched her first goal of the season 89 seconds into the second half, assisted by senior Eva van't Hoog. Hayden then added two more unassisted goals, in the 38^th and 54^th minutes, to earn the second hat trick of her career. (She also had a three-goal game last season against Davidson.)

Freshman Hannah Griggs got her first goal as a Tar Heel in the 58^th minute, on a pass from Sholder, to put UNC up 7-0.

The final goal came from junior Feline Guenther, who scored in the 65^th minute to make it 8-0.

"I was very pleased to see us get an early lead and then continue with the habits we've been training," Shelton said. "When we were able to open up the bench, the level of play did not diminish and that was great to see. It speaks to our depth and the fact that we're training the right things, and that everyone on the team is working hard."

The Tar Heels played a total of 21 field players and two keepers. Sophomore Amanda Hendry and junior Alex Halpin combined for UNC's second shutout in a row, with Hendry starting and each playing a half.

UNC has given up just two goals in this season's four games and has had eight players score at least one goal.

Sunday's margin allowed for some welcome breathing room after the Tar Heels had won back-to-back games by a goal each. Following the tight win over Princeton on Friday, UNC was able to make changes that paid off on Sunday.

"After the Princeton game, we looked at the video and identified some issues that we saw," Shelton said. "We only had a short practice on Saturday but we were able to make some adjustments and I think they were effective today against Penn. It was a great effort and I was really glad to see us able to learn from Friday and implement changes that were evident on Sunday. I'm proud of my team for that."

The Conference Crossover kicked off a four-year run, with Penn, Princeton, UNC and Wake Forest all set to host. UNC's turn comes next, in the 2019 season.

The Tar Heels are on the road again next weekend, traveling to Louisville, Ky. UNC faces the host Cardinals Friday at 5 p.m. for the ACC opener and California Saturday at 3 p.m. in a neutral-site matchup.

No. 2 UNC 8, Penn 0
Scoring: UNC–Ashley Hoffman (Erin Matson, Yentl Leemans(, 4:01; UNC – Hoffman (Matson, Leemans), 19:58; UNC – Catherine Hayden (Meredith Sholder), 32:56; UNC – Marissa Creatore (Eva van't Hoog), 36:29; UNC – Hayden, 37:45; UNC – Hayden, 53:05; UNC – Hannah Griggs (Sholder); UNC – Feline Guenther
Shots: UNC 22 (9/13), Penn 3 (1-2)
Penalty Corners: UNC 10 (7/3), Penn 3 (0/3)
Goalkeeper Saves: UNC 3 (Amanda Hendry, 35:00, 0 goals allowed, 1 save; Alex Halpin, 35:00, 0 goals allowed, 2 saves); Penn 8 (Ava Rosati, 70:00, 8 goals allowed, 8 saves)
Records: UNC 4-0, Penn 1-1

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