UNC Exits NCAA Field Hockey Tournament With Loss To Northwestern

Friday, November 12

Iowa City, Iowa

3:30 PM ET

North Carolina

(13-7)

Northwestern (NCAA First Round)

(15-5)

North Carolina

Northwestern

The Tar Heel defense held Northwestern scoreless until the fourth quarter on Friday.

Photo by: Nick Rohlman

UNC Exits NCAA Field Hockey Tournament With Loss To Northwestern

November 12, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The North Carolina field hockey team's quest for a fourth-consecutive NCAA Championship ended four wins early as the Tar Heels fell 2-0 Friday afternoon to Northwestern at Iowa's Grant Field. The NCAA Tournament first-round loss is UNC's earliest exit from the postseason since 2008, breaking a string of 12 straight trips to the final four.

"Congratulations to Northwestern – they were the better team today," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "They were fundamentally sound, quick on restarts, and they have a tremendous amount of team speed. They were a step quicker than our team today.

"I'm proud of our Tar Heels. We fought hard, but Northwestern was able to disrupt us."

UNC finishes its season at 13-7, less than a week after winning its fifth-consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title. Northwestern improved to 15-5 and will play host Iowa, a 3-2 winner over American in the day's first game in Iowa City, on Sunday for a spot in the NCAA semifinals next weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s throughout Friday's game, with windy conditions and precipitation that tapered off from sleet before the game to occasional snow flurries during it. Neither team could muster much offense in the first half, with Carolina getting off two shots and Northwestern four.

The teams got off the same number of shots – Northwestern 4 and UNC 2 – in the third quarter alone, but still no score as UNC keeper Abigail Taylor made a save and neither Carolina shot was on goal.

In the 49^th minute of play the Wildcats finally scored, with Ana Medina Garcia putting back a rebound to make it 1-0 Northwestern. Six minutes later with her team still trailing 1-0, Shelton pulled Taylor in favor of an additional field player.

The Tar Heels drew a late corner, but the shot was saved and Northwestern gained possession and scored on the counterattack, with Maddie Zimmer shooting into the open cage for the 2-0 final.

Carolina made its 38^th NCAA Tournament appearance and played its 102^nd tournament game, both records. The last time UNC failed to reach at least the NCAA semifinals was in 2008, when the Tar Heels fell in the first round a year after winning the 2007 NCAA Championship with an undefeated season. They won another national championship the following year, in 2009, and had not missed the final four since then. Carolina has won the last three national championships, with undefeated seasons in 2018 and 2019 and a single early-season loss in 2020.

Although a disappointing end to this season, the UNC seniors –Riley Fulmer, Hannah Griggs, Cassie Halpin, Abby Pitcairn, Meredith Sholder, Eva Smolenaars and Cassie Sumfest – have three NCAA titles and ACC Championships in all four or five of their seasons at Carolina.

"This senior class has been one of most decorated in history of the sport," Shelton said. "I'm proud of them for all they've accomplished and the way they've represented the University of North Carolina."

No. 7 Northwestern 2, No. 8 North Carolina 0
Scoring: NU – Ana Medina Garcia, 48:30; NU – Maddie Zimmer, 56:59
Shots: UNC 6 (1/1/2/2), NU 13 (1/3/4/5)
Penalty corners: UNC 2 (0/1/0/1), NU 4 (0/2/1/1)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 2 (Abigail Taylor, 54:26, 1 goal allowed, 2 saves; Team, 5:34, 1 goal allowed), NU 4 (Annabel Skubisz, 60:00, 0 goals allowed, 4 saves)
Records: UNC 13-7, NU 15-5