University of North Carolina Athletics
In 2018, the Tar Heels won the program's 21st ACC title.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina Voted ACC Preseason Favorite
August 23, 2019 | Field Hockey
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina has been selected to repeat as the Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey champion and two Tar Heels – senior Yentl Leemans and sophomore Erin Matson – have earned Preseason All-ACC honors in a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference announced Friday morning.
The Tar Heels open the 2019 campaign on Aug. 30 at Michigan as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They're coming off a perfect 2018 season in which they posted a 23-0 overall record, captured the program's seventh NCAA field hockey title and claimed the ACC championship for the second consecutive season and the 21st time overall.
UNC received six first-place votes and amassed 48 total points in the coaches' preseason vote. Duke earned one first-place vote and placed second with 43 total points, followed by Virginia (29), Louisville (25), Syracuse (18), Boston College (17) and Wake Forest (16).
Matson, a forward, was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2018. She also was named to the All-ACC first team, while Leemans was on the second team. Both started all 23 games for last year's UNC team.
Duke led all schools with three players recognized on the preseason All-ACC team, while UNC and Virginia each had two players selected. The preseason All-ACC team includes three All-America selections from last season – first-teamers Matson and Margaux Paolino of Duke, both members of the U.S. National Team, and second-teamer Mercedes Pastor of Louisville.
ACC teams have won 19 of the 38 NCAA field hockey titles, including 12 of the last 17, and at least one ACC squad has advanced to the national championship game in 19 of the last 20 years. Four ACC teams earned bids to the 2018 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, marking the sixth consecutive year that the field included at least four ACC teams.
The ACC's 2019 field hockey season officially gets underway Friday Aug. 30, with all seven league teams set to play non-conference matches.
2019 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Duke (1) - 43
3. Virginia - 29
4. Louisville - 25
5. Syracuse - 18
6. Boston College - 17
7. Wake Forest – 16
(First-place votes)
2019 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Fusine Govaert, Jr., M, Boston College
Margaux Paolino, Sr., M, Duke
Jillian Wolgemuth, Sr., B, Duke
Sammi Steele, Sr., G, Duke
Mercedes Pastor, Jr., M, Louisville
Yentl Leemans, Sr., M, North Carolina
Erin Matson, So., F, North Carolina
Claire Webb, Sr., B, Syracuse
Rachel Robinson, Jr., M, Virginia
Amber Ezechiels, So., B, Virginia
Anne van Hoof, Jr., B, Wake Forest
The Tar Heels open the 2019 campaign on Aug. 30 at Michigan as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They're coming off a perfect 2018 season in which they posted a 23-0 overall record, captured the program's seventh NCAA field hockey title and claimed the ACC championship for the second consecutive season and the 21st time overall.
UNC received six first-place votes and amassed 48 total points in the coaches' preseason vote. Duke earned one first-place vote and placed second with 43 total points, followed by Virginia (29), Louisville (25), Syracuse (18), Boston College (17) and Wake Forest (16).
Matson, a forward, was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2018. She also was named to the All-ACC first team, while Leemans was on the second team. Both started all 23 games for last year's UNC team.
Duke led all schools with three players recognized on the preseason All-ACC team, while UNC and Virginia each had two players selected. The preseason All-ACC team includes three All-America selections from last season – first-teamers Matson and Margaux Paolino of Duke, both members of the U.S. National Team, and second-teamer Mercedes Pastor of Louisville.
ACC teams have won 19 of the 38 NCAA field hockey titles, including 12 of the last 17, and at least one ACC squad has advanced to the national championship game in 19 of the last 20 years. Four ACC teams earned bids to the 2018 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, marking the sixth consecutive year that the field included at least four ACC teams.
The ACC's 2019 field hockey season officially gets underway Friday Aug. 30, with all seven league teams set to play non-conference matches.
2019 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Duke (1) - 43
3. Virginia - 29
4. Louisville - 25
5. Syracuse - 18
6. Boston College - 17
7. Wake Forest – 16
(First-place votes)
2019 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Fusine Govaert, Jr., M, Boston College
Margaux Paolino, Sr., M, Duke
Jillian Wolgemuth, Sr., B, Duke
Sammi Steele, Sr., G, Duke
Mercedes Pastor, Jr., M, Louisville
Yentl Leemans, Sr., M, North Carolina
Erin Matson, So., F, North Carolina
Claire Webb, Sr., B, Syracuse
Rachel Robinson, Jr., M, Virginia
Amber Ezechiels, So., B, Virginia
Anne van Hoof, Jr., B, Wake Forest
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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