For 11th Year In A Row, UNC Is Final Four Bound

Sunday, November 17

Chapel Hill

1:00 PM

North Carolina

(21-0)

Iowa (NCAA Second Round)

(17-5)

Iowa

North Carolina

UNC's first goal of the day came on a penalty corner, the Tar Heels' only one of the afternoon.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 17, 2019 | Field Hockey

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By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the 11^th year in a row, the UNC field hockey team is going to the final four. But although the path is a familiar one, punching this year's ticket was far from routine.

The top-ranked Tar Heels scored on their only two shots of the game Sunday afternoon to beat No. 6 Iowa 2-1 at Karen Shelton Stadium. The gamewinner came 26 seconds into the fourth quarter, on a goal by senior midfielder Feline Guenther, assisted by senior forward Marissa Creatore. With the win, UNC (21-0) earns another game in the 2019 season and a trip west to Winston-Salem, N.C., where Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium will serve as host to this year's NCAA semifinals and championship.

"I'm exceedingly proud of our team," said UNC coach Karen Shelton, who will lead her team to an NCAA-record 24^th appearance in the semifinals. "We played an Iowa team that was very well-coached, hard-working, balanced ... they were probably the best team we've played all year. They put a lot of pressure on us – a lot of mid-field battle, not many corners, not many shots by either team, but we found a way at the end."

UNC's semifinal game on Friday is a rematch of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship on Nov. 10, as the Tar Heels will take on Boston College, which edged conference-rival Louisville in a shootout Sunday to advance to its first-ever final four. Carolina and BC meet at 1 p.m. in the first semifinal, with Virginia and Princeton in the second at 3:45. Three of the four advancing teams are from the ACC.

Sunday's matchup with Iowa was the second of the season for UNC, which needed two late goals to beat the Hawkeyes 2-1 in a neutral-site matchup in the second game of the season, back on Sept. 1. Iowa (17-5) won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships and knocked off Duke 3-2 on Friday in Chapel Hill to reach the second round.

The Hawkeyes gave UNC all it could handle from the start and scored first, on their first penalty corner of the game. Sofie Stribos had the goal, assisted by her sister, Lokke Stribos, to go up 1-0 with the Tar Heels still searching for their first shot of the game.

In the 25^th minute of play, UNC sophomore Erin Matson carried the ball into the circle and drew her team's first (and what would prove to be only) penalty corner of the day. The Tar Heels capitalized, with senior Yentl Leemans passing to Matson for a hard shot that jetted just inside the left post.

The teams were tied until early in the fourth quarter. Just 26 seconds into the period, senior forward Catherine Hayden carried the ball to the top of the circle and passed to Creatore on the left side. Creatore spotted Guenther sprinting toward the cage and sent a cross past Iowa keeper Leslie Speight. Guenther deflected it in from the far post for a 2-1 lead that would stand up for the final.

"She's a hustler and I knew she'd be there," Creatore said. "We knew from then on we just had to defend to win."

Carolina, the NCAA leader in goals this season, got off a season-low two shots but scored on both. Iowa had seven shots, and UNC keeper Amanda Hendry made two saves.

The Tar Heels have now won 44 games in a row. In two seasons of playing at Shelton Stadium, they've never lost. UNC celebrated its eight graduating players at Senior Day ceremonies on Nov. 3, then earned them two additional home games in the postseason.

"This was the true senior game – this is the day that they're not going to suit up for Carolina any more on this field," Shelton said. "For them to open this stadium and play for two seasons and not to have a loss on their home field is something I think they wanted badly and I wanted it for them. It's just a great celebration to get to the final four."

No. 1 UNC 2, No. 6 Iowa 1
Scoring: Iowa – Sofie Stribos (Lokke Stribos), 17:23; UNC – Erin Matson (Yentl Leemans), 24:33; UNC – Feline Guenther (Marissa Creatore), 45:26
Shots: UNC 2 (0/1/0/1), UI 7 (0/2/2/3)
Penalty corners: UNC 1 (0/1/0/0), UI 3 (0/1/2/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 2 (Amanda Hendry, 60:00 1 goal allowed, 2 saves), Iowa 0 (Leslie Speight, 57:05, 2 goals allowed, 0 saves; Team, 2:55)
Records: UNC 21-0, Iowa 17-5

UNC starters: Amanda Hendry, Erin Matson, Madison Orobono, Catherine Hayden, Romea Riccardo, Feline Guenther, Yentl Leemans, Eva Smolenaars, Courtnie Williamson, Megan DuVernois, Marissa Creatore
UNC subs: Bryn Boylan, Riley Fulmer, Karlijn Goes, Abby Pitcairn