Top-Ranked Field Hockey Beats No. 7 Virginia 3-1

Friday, October 21

Chapel Hill

4 p.m.

North Carolina

Virginia

UNC celebrates its first goal of the day, on a penalty corner in the sixth minute of play.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

October 21, 2022 | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Top-ranked North Carolina scored three times before halftime on the way to a 3-1 field hockey win over No. 7 Virginia Friday afternoon in the Tar Heels' final home game of the Atlantic Coast Conference season.

UNC (13-0, 5-0 ACC) steps out of conference to host No. 9 Saint Joseph's on Sunday for Senior Day then wraps up the regular season on Oct. 29 at Duke.

"I thought it was an outstanding game by two great teams," UNC coach Karen Shelton said as her team lingered on the field after the win. "It had a little bit of everything – they scored on a corner option, we scored on a corner option, both teams played terrific defense, passed the ball. I thought it was probably the most strategic and tactical game we've played all year."

The Tar Heels' penalty corner goal came just 5:19 into the action, on the team's second corner of the game. Freshman Sietske Brüning sent her shot just inside the left post, assisted by Ashley Sessa on the insert and Romea Riccardo on the stop.

Just under six minutes later the Tar Heels were awarded a penalty stroke and senior Erin Matson nailed it for a 2-0 lead heading into the second quarter. She's now three-for-three in strokes this fall and UNC's is four-for-four overall, with sophomore Lisa Slinkert the other Tar Heel who has taken one this season.

In the 17^th minute of play, Virginia got on the board on its second penalty corner of the game. Cato Geusgens had the initial shot and Laura Janssen deflected it in to draw the Cavaliers within a goal, 2-1.

With 44 seconds to play before halftime, the Virginia keeper, Jet Trimborn, hit the turf to play the ball. Matson got her stick on it, maneuvered around the keeper and shot past a defender and into the empty cage to make it 3-1 at the break and ultimately for the final 30 minutes. Despite opportunities – UNC had five shots in the second half and Virginia had six – neither team scored again.

On the day, Carolina outshot Virginia 13-11 and each team took six penalty corners. Sophomore Abigail Taylor made four saves for the Tar Heels in playing all 60 minutes. Trimborn also registered four saves.

"I'm proud of our Heels – today was significant as we clinched the top seed in the ACC Tournament, which means we get a bye," Shelton said. "It's always a goal going into the season to earn that bye.

"And the crowd was fantastic for fall break – a lot of people came out and Virginia brought a large contingent of supporters. It just made for a good day of hockey. I think both teams enjoyed playing the game and I think the fans enjoyed watching."

No. 1 UNC 3, No. 7 Virginia 1
Scoring: UNC – Sietske Brüning (Ashley Sessa, Romea Riccardo), 5:19; UNC – Erin Matson (Penalty Stroke); UVA – Laura Janssen (Cato Geusgens), 16:43; UNC – Matson, 29:16
Shots: UNC 13 (5/3/1/4), UVA 11 (4/1/4/2)
Penalty Corners: UNC 6 (2/0/0/4), UVA 6 (1/2/2/1)
Goalkeeper Saves: UNC 4 (Abigail Taylor, 60:00, 1 goal allowed, 4 saves); UVA 4 (Jet Trimborn, 60:00, 3 goals allowed, 4 saves)
Records: UNC 13-0 (5-0 ACC), UVA 10-5 (3-3 ACC)