Tar Heels Score Late Goals To Take 2-1 Win Over Iowa

Sunday, September 1

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

North Carolina

(2-0)

Iowa (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)

(1-1)

North Carolina

Iowa

The Tar Heels left Ann Arbor 2-0 after a pair of comeback wins in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

September 1, 2019 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The North Carolina field hockey team scored twice in the final five minutes of play Sunday to beat No. 8 Iowa 2-1 in a neutral-site ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup at Michigan's Ocker Field. Senior forwards Catherine Hayden and Marissa Creatore scored on penalty corners as the top-ranked Tar Heels improved to 2-0 with their second comeback win of the weekend, both coming over top-10 teams.

"I'm very proud of our team for pulling out a win," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I thought Iowa played exceptionally well and gave us everything we could handle. It wasn't a pretty game, but it was gritty and hard-fought. We're happy to come away from this weekend with wins against two really good Big Ten teams."

The game was scoreless through the first half. Iowa (1-1) finally got a goal on a penalty corner in the 39^th minute of play to take a 1-0 lead. Playing on this same field Friday, UNC had trailed 1-0 early in its season opener, but came back to beat the host Wolverines 4-2.

The Tar Heels would do it again on Sunday, but with a lot less breathing room. The game-tying goal by Hayden came on a penalty corner in the 56^th minute of play. Senior Yentl Leemans took the initial hit, and Hayden deflected it in from the front of the cage to tie the game at 1-1 with her first goal of the year.

UNC had pulled goalkeeper Amanda Hendry around the 10-minute mark in favor of an extra field player, then got an even greater advantage when Iowa's Esme Gibson was issued a yellow card – which brings a five-minute penalty – with seven minutes remaining in the game.

After Hayden's goal tied the game, Hendry re-entered, but the Tar Heels still were a player up and continued to press for another scoring opportunity. Two minutes later they got one, with another corner, their fifth of the game. Again it was Leemans on the initial hit, and Creatore deflected in the gamewinner with 2:24 on the clock. It was her second goal of the season, after she also scored on a corner deflection Friday against Michigan.

Iowa got a penalty corner after a video review call with no time remaining on the clock, but the shot was blocked and the game ended in a Tar Heel win. The Hawkeyes' goal came on their only other penalty corner of the game, when Sofie Stribos deflected in the initial shot by her older sister, Lokke Stribos, in the third quarter.

"We went down and I thought we were well-prepared," Shelton said. "Even though we don't like to be in that situation, we were ready for it, and I think some of that was our preseason scrimmages and being able to practice those situations.

"We learned a lot in this game. We're a work in progress and we're just trying to get better. This helps us grow – we didn't play our best and still found a way to win."

UNC returns to action on Friday at Karen Shelton Stadium with its first home game of the season and an event similar to this weekend's, with Carolina and Wake again representing the ACC. In the ACC-Ivy Conference Crossover, the Tar Heels face Princeton on Friday at 5 p.m. following a 2:30 game between Wake Forest and Penn. They'll swap opponents for Sunday, with Wake playing Princeton at 11 a.m. and UNC facing Penn at 1 p.m.

No. 1 UNC 2, No. 8 Iowa 1
Scoring: Iowa – Sofie Stribos (Lokke Stribos), 38:13; UNC – Catherine Hayden (Yentl Leemans), 55:25; UNC – Marissa Creatore (Leemans), 57:36
Shots: UNC 10 (3/1/4/2), Iowa 7 (1/3/2/1)
Penalty corners: UNC 5 (1/0/2/2), Iowa 2 (0/0/1/1)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 2 (Amanda Hendry, 55:10, 1 goal allowed, 2 saves; Team, 4:50, 0 goals, 0 saves); Iowa 4 (Leslie Speight, 60:00, 2 goals allowed, 4 saves)
Defensive saves: Iowa 1 (Lokke Stribos)
Records: UNC 2-0, Iowa 1-1

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: Hannah Griggs, Bryn Boylan, Karlijn Goes, Abby Pitcairn, Riley Fulmer