Field Hockey Opens Season With 3-1 Win

Sunday, September 20

Winston-Salem, N.C.

2 PM

North Carolina

(1-0)

Wake Forest

(0-1)

North Carolina

Wake Forest

In front of largely empty stands, the Tar Heels beat Wake Forest 3-1 on Sunday.

September 20, 2020 | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina field hockey team kicked off the 2020 season Sunday the same place it ended the 2019 campaign, and with the same outcome. In the season opener, UNC beat Wake Forest 3-1 at Kentner Stadium to improve to 1-0 on the year.

"I'm very pleased with this win," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "It wasn't pretty all the time but I think we grew today. It's good to get the first one – both teams go in blind and you don't really know what to expect. Both teams played really hard."

In their most recent game at Kentner Stadium, last November, the Tar Heels won the 2019 NCAA Championship.

This time, they got goals from three different players, one who was the Most Outstanding Player in that last trip to Winston-Salem, and two who didn't play at all. The first goal came from junior Cassie Sumfest, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. She started in the midfield Sunday and got UNC on the board in the 24^th minute on the team's third penalty corner of the game. Assisted by junior Abby Pitcairn on the insert and sophomore Madison Orobono on the stick stop, Sumfest sent her drag flick into the lower left corner of the cage to make it 1-0.

Wake Forest answered just over three minutes later, with Nat Friedman scoring to make it 1-1.

The Tar Heels drew a another corner – their third of the period and fourth of the game – in the closing minutes of the second quarter and junior Erin Matson converted to give UNC the lead at the break. The goal, again assisted by Pitcairn and Orobono, was the 54^th of Matson's illustrious career, moving her into 10^th place on UNC's all-time goals list just a game into her third season as a Tar Heel. She was the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player during the last trip to Winston-Salem, just one in a long list of honors.

UNC's third goal came midway through the third period. Junior Meredith Sholder, who missed last year after a foot injury in the preseason and started at forward on Sunday, took a pass from Matson in the middle of the circle and pushed it past diving Wake keeper Ally Butler to make the score 3-1.

"I was really pleased for Cassie and Meredith, not just to be out there again but to both score," Shelton said. "There's room for improvement, but today was a good start. It's never easy to go play at Wake Forest – they're always a tough opponent, and especially at their place."

Carolina finished with 18 shots to Wake's seven and seven penalty corners to the host team's one.

UNC's next game is Oct. 2, when the Tar Heels travel to play at Louisville. That game marks the start of conference play, as Sunday's battle with the Demon Deacons was a non-conference matchup. Carolina and Wake will meet again in the final game of the regular season, on Oct. 30 in Chapel Hill.

Opening the season with a win! Check out all 3 Carolina goals ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UkYHV81ku1
— UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) September 20, 2020