Friday, May 7
Chapel Hill
1 PM
North Carolina
(18-1)
3
vs
0
Iowa (NCAA Semifinals)
(12-6)
1
2
3
4
F
Iowa
0
0
0
0
0
North Carolina
0
1
2
0
3
Freshman Katie Dixon notched the gamewinner with the first score of her Carolina career.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Tar Heels Shut Out Iowa To Earn Shot At NCAA Crown
May 7, 2021 | Field Hockey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Two freshmen scored their first career goals and the nation's leading scorer added one more as top-seeded North Carolina shut out fourth-seeded Iowa 3-0 at Karen Shelton Stadium to earn a spot in the NCAA field hockey championship game on Sunday.
The Tar Heels, two-time defending champions, will play for the ninth title in program history Sunday at 7 p.m. on their home turf. They'll face Michigan, which beat Louisville 2-1 in double overtime and then a shootout in the day's second semifinal game.
After a scoreless first quarter, UNC (18-1) went up for good in the 23rd minute while in a player-up advantage because of an Iowa green card. Sophomore Romea Riccardo sent a long ball to the right corner, where freshman Mia Leonhardt hustled to receive it then delivered a pass into the circle. Classmate Katie Dixon sent a backhand shot past Iowa keeper Grace McGuire and into the left side of the cage for a 1-0 Tar Heel lead. It was Dixon's first goal as a Tar Heel and Leonhardt's first assist.
Shortly after that score, the game went into the first of two lengthy weather delays because of lightning in the area. The teams spent 40 minutes in their locker rooms before returning to the turf to play out the rest of the second quarter. Just as the halftime clock sounded, the game went into another weather delay – this one including heavy rain and even hail – and the "halftime" break stretched to nearly an hour instead of the typical 10 minutes.
Back on the field for the third quarter, the Tar Heels drew two penalty corners and scored on both. In the 40th minute, junior Erin Matson's initial shot was saved but Leonhardt grabbed the rebound and popped the ball over the diving keeper and into the cage for a 2-0 UNC lead on her first career goal.
Four minutes later the Tar Heels drew another penalty corner, their fourth of four on the day. Matson, who leads the nation in scoring, blasted a shot to notch her 27th goal of the season, with Paityn Wirth and Riccardo on the assists. The goal was Matson's 15th in 10 career NCAA Tournament games and she now ranks second in tournament history for career goals. (The all-time NCAA Tournament leader, ODU's Marina DiGiacomo, scored 21 goals in 12 games.)
The teams finished tied in shots with nine each, but Tar Heel senior Amanda Hendry made seven saves – including five in the final period – to preserve the shutout. In two NCAA Tournament games, Carolina has yet to allow a goal. The Tar Heels reached the final four with a 2-0 win over Stanford on May 2.
Iowa (12-6) drew six penalty corners, including five in the fourth quarter, and UNC had four.
The Tar Heels are making their 12th straight final four appearance, the 25th in program history. Friday's game was the program's 100th in NCAA Tournament play, more than any other school.
Sunday's championship game will be UNC's 20th – the Tar Heels are 8-11 in their previous 19 appearances and won the 2018 and 2019 titles.
North Carolina 3, Iowa 0
Scoring: UNC – Katie Dixon (Mia Leonhardt), 22:39; UNC – Leonhardt, 39:13; UNC – Erin Matson (Paityn Wirth, Romea Riccardo), 43:09
Shots: UNC 9 (1/3/5/0), Iowa 9 (1/1/0/7)
Penalty corners: UNC 4 (1/1/2/0), Iowa 6 (0/1/0/5)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 7 (Amanda Hendry, 60:00, 7 saves, 0 goals allowed); Iowa 6 (Grace McGuire, 60:00, 6 saves, 3 goals allowed)
Records: UNC 18-1, Iowa 12-6
The Tar Heels, two-time defending champions, will play for the ninth title in program history Sunday at 7 p.m. on their home turf. They'll face Michigan, which beat Louisville 2-1 in double overtime and then a shootout in the day's second semifinal game.
After a scoreless first quarter, UNC (18-1) went up for good in the 23rd minute while in a player-up advantage because of an Iowa green card. Sophomore Romea Riccardo sent a long ball to the right corner, where freshman Mia Leonhardt hustled to receive it then delivered a pass into the circle. Classmate Katie Dixon sent a backhand shot past Iowa keeper Grace McGuire and into the left side of the cage for a 1-0 Tar Heel lead. It was Dixon's first goal as a Tar Heel and Leonhardt's first assist.
Shortly after that score, the game went into the first of two lengthy weather delays because of lightning in the area. The teams spent 40 minutes in their locker rooms before returning to the turf to play out the rest of the second quarter. Just as the halftime clock sounded, the game went into another weather delay – this one including heavy rain and even hail – and the "halftime" break stretched to nearly an hour instead of the typical 10 minutes.
Back on the field for the third quarter, the Tar Heels drew two penalty corners and scored on both. In the 40th minute, junior Erin Matson's initial shot was saved but Leonhardt grabbed the rebound and popped the ball over the diving keeper and into the cage for a 2-0 UNC lead on her first career goal.
Four minutes later the Tar Heels drew another penalty corner, their fourth of four on the day. Matson, who leads the nation in scoring, blasted a shot to notch her 27th goal of the season, with Paityn Wirth and Riccardo on the assists. The goal was Matson's 15th in 10 career NCAA Tournament games and she now ranks second in tournament history for career goals. (The all-time NCAA Tournament leader, ODU's Marina DiGiacomo, scored 21 goals in 12 games.)
The teams finished tied in shots with nine each, but Tar Heel senior Amanda Hendry made seven saves – including five in the final period – to preserve the shutout. In two NCAA Tournament games, Carolina has yet to allow a goal. The Tar Heels reached the final four with a 2-0 win over Stanford on May 2.
Iowa (12-6) drew six penalty corners, including five in the fourth quarter, and UNC had four.
The Tar Heels are making their 12th straight final four appearance, the 25th in program history. Friday's game was the program's 100th in NCAA Tournament play, more than any other school.
Sunday's championship game will be UNC's 20th – the Tar Heels are 8-11 in their previous 19 appearances and won the 2018 and 2019 titles.
North Carolina 3, Iowa 0
Scoring: UNC – Katie Dixon (Mia Leonhardt), 22:39; UNC – Leonhardt, 39:13; UNC – Erin Matson (Paityn Wirth, Romea Riccardo), 43:09
Shots: UNC 9 (1/3/5/0), Iowa 9 (1/1/0/7)
Penalty corners: UNC 4 (1/1/2/0), Iowa 6 (0/1/0/5)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 7 (Amanda Hendry, 60:00, 7 saves, 0 goals allowed); Iowa 6 (Grace McGuire, 60:00, 6 saves, 3 goals allowed)
Records: UNC 18-1, Iowa 12-6
Team Stats
IOWA
NC
Goals
0
3
Shots
9
9
Shots on Goal
7
9
Saves
6
7
Corners
6
4
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Katie Dixon (1)
Assisted By: Mia Leonhardt
feed in from corner, backhand shot to fa
22:39
Mia Leonhardt (1)
rebound of save of EM shot lifted into c
39:13
Erin Matson (27)
Assisted By: Paityn Wirth , Romea Riccardo
direct shot from EM
43:09
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
5
SOG
5
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
Midfielder/Back
/ Field Hockey
Goalkeeper
/ Field HockeyMidfielder/Forward
/ Field HockeyForward
/ Field Hockey
Back
/ Field HockeyMidfielder
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