Sunday, October 23
Chapel Hill
2 p.m.
North Carolina
(14-0)
6
vs
0
Saint Joseph's
(12-4)
1
2
3
4
F
Saint Joseph's
0
0
0
0
0
North Carolina
3
1
1
1
6
Team Stats
SJU
NC
Goals
0
6
Shots
7
17
Shots on Goal
5
13
Saves
7
5
Corners
2
6
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Ryleigh Heck (11)
Dribbled in and lifted shot over the GK
2:55
Erin Matson (20)
On rebound after GK save
7:50
Kennedy Cliggett (4)
Assisted By: Erin Matson
Pass to tap in at post
12:26
Paityn Wirth (3)
Assisted By: Jasmina Smolenaars
Penalty corner
17:56
Ryleigh Heck (12)
Assisted By: Erin Matson
On the break, pass to front of cage
34:55
Ryleigh Heck (13)
Assisted By: Erin Matson
Pass to front of cage for deflection
45:50
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
6
SOG
5
Goals
3
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
3
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Field HockeyForward
/ Field HockeyMidfielder/Forward
/ Field HockeyForward
/ Field Hockey
Back
/ Field Hockey
Back
/ Field Hockey
Forward/Midfielder
/ Field Hockey
Midfielder/Forward
/ Field Hockey
Midfielder
/ Field Hockey
Goalkeeper
/ Field Hockey
Goalkeeper
/ Field Hockey
Midfielder/Forward
/ Field HockeyForward
/ Field HockeyThe Tar Heels had pletnty to celebrate on Sunday at Karen Shelton Stadium.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Top-Ranked Field Hockey Celebrates Senior Day With 6-0 Victory
October 23, 2022 | Field Hockey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina field hockey team honored six seniors before Sunday's game then came up with a goal for each of them, beating No. 9 Saint Joseph's 6-0 in the team's final regular-season game at Karen Shelton Stadium. No. 1 UNC is now 14-0 heading into Saturday's game at Duke.
"What a special day for our team," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "Not only did we get to honor a bunch of great seniors but we did so against a very good St. Joe's team. We wanted to play well, we wanted to come out strong and fast, and we got a three-goal cushion in the first quarter. I thought our team moved the ball really well, we pressed them well, we did what we wanted to do and it gave them all kinds of trouble."
Freshman Ryleigh Heck scored three times, registering her second hat trick in the past three games, and senior Erin Matson scored a goal and added three assists to take over second place on UNC's career assists list. The other two goals came from senior Paityn Wirth and sophomore Kennedy Cliggett.
Heck's first goal came just 2:55 into the action when she drove in from the left side of the circle then flipped a shot over the SJU keeper's right shoulder and into the cage.
In the eighth minute, Heck took back-to-back shots that the Hawks' keeper, Robin Bleekemolen, saved. Matson dove to grab the rebound after the second and sent a shot over the keeper for the score.
In the 13th minute of play on a fast break, sophomore Lisa Slinkert passed the ball into the circle to a sprinting Matson. Matson sent it across the cage to the left post, where Cliggett tapped it in for a 3-0 lead.
Wirth's goal came on a penalty corner, one of six for UNC on the day, and gave Carolina a 4-0 lead at the half. In the 18th minute of play, sophomore Jasmina Smolenaars took the initial shot and Wirth fought a defender to get her stick on the ball and flip it into the cage.
Heck and Matson connected on two more goals, one 4:55 into the third quarter and one just 50 seconds into the fourth. On the first of those, Matson delivered a pinpoint pass to Heck in front of the cage and the freshman sent a high shot into the cage for her second goal of the day.
With just seconds to play in the third quarter, SJU drew its fifth corner of the period and nearly scored, with senior Madison Orobono registering a defensive save to preserve the shutout.
For the final score of the afternoon, Matson dribbled through two defenders and into the circle then sent a ball toward the cage, where Heck dove to tip it past the keeper for the 6-0 lead.
The shutout is the Tar Heels' seventh of the season and was split by goalkeepers Kylie Walbert and Abigail Taylor. Walbert started and played the first half, making one save. Taylor played the second half and made three.
Carolina opened the day by honoring seniors Brooke Behan, Erin Matson, Madison Orobono, Romea Riccardo, Steph Weber and Paityn Wirth, as well as graduate student athletic trainer Lauren Woelffer and practice player Hayden Clay. (Senior Meredith Sholder, one of this year's team captains, participated in Senior Day last season then elected to return for 2022.)
"I was really pleased with the entire group, and so happy that all of our seniors could play," said Shelton, who played 24 Tar Heels in the win. "To honor the seniors and have everybody get the chance to play and contribute is a nice feeling. We've had some wins that haven't felt like wins, but this one felt like a win."
Saturday's game at Duke wraps up the regular season for Carolina. The Tar Heels then look ahead to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which is back in Durham on Nov. 1, 2, and 4.
No. 1 UNC 6, No. 9 SJU 0
Scoring: UNC – Ryleigh Heck, 2:55; UNC – Erin Matson, 7:50; UNC – Kennedy Cliggett (Matson), 12:26; UNC – Paityn Wirth (Jasmina Smolenaars), 17:56; UNC – Heck (Matson), 34:55; UNC – Heck (Matson), 45:50
Shots: UNC 17 (4/7/5/1), SJU 7 (1/0/5/1)
Penalty corners: UNC 6 (0/4/2/0), SJU 2 (1/0/1/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 4 (Kylie Walbert, 30:00, 0 goals allowed, 1 save; Abigail Taylor, 30:00, 0 goals allowed, 3 saves), SJU 7 (Robin Bleekemolen, 60:00, 6 goals allowed, 7 saves)
Defensive saves: UNC 1 (Madison Orobono)
Records: UNC 14-0, SJU 12-4
"What a special day for our team," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "Not only did we get to honor a bunch of great seniors but we did so against a very good St. Joe's team. We wanted to play well, we wanted to come out strong and fast, and we got a three-goal cushion in the first quarter. I thought our team moved the ball really well, we pressed them well, we did what we wanted to do and it gave them all kinds of trouble."
So much to celebrate before we even got underway today 💙
Thank you to our seniors and also our senior families! We'll miss you so much – glad we don't have to say goodbye to you just yet 🙂#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/aFT8XsIW0r
— UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) October 23, 2022
Freshman Ryleigh Heck scored three times, registering her second hat trick in the past three games, and senior Erin Matson scored a goal and added three assists to take over second place on UNC's career assists list. The other two goals came from senior Paityn Wirth and sophomore Kennedy Cliggett.
Heck's first goal came just 2:55 into the action when she drove in from the left side of the circle then flipped a shot over the SJU keeper's right shoulder and into the cage.
In the eighth minute, Heck took back-to-back shots that the Hawks' keeper, Robin Bleekemolen, saved. Matson dove to grab the rebound after the second and sent a shot over the keeper for the score.
In the 13th minute of play on a fast break, sophomore Lisa Slinkert passed the ball into the circle to a sprinting Matson. Matson sent it across the cage to the left post, where Cliggett tapped it in for a 3-0 lead.
Wirth's goal came on a penalty corner, one of six for UNC on the day, and gave Carolina a 4-0 lead at the half. In the 18th minute of play, sophomore Jasmina Smolenaars took the initial shot and Wirth fought a defender to get her stick on the ball and flip it into the cage.
Heck and Matson connected on two more goals, one 4:55 into the third quarter and one just 50 seconds into the fourth. On the first of those, Matson delivered a pinpoint pass to Heck in front of the cage and the freshman sent a high shot into the cage for her second goal of the day.
With just seconds to play in the third quarter, SJU drew its fifth corner of the period and nearly scored, with senior Madison Orobono registering a defensive save to preserve the shutout.
For the final score of the afternoon, Matson dribbled through two defenders and into the circle then sent a ball toward the cage, where Heck dove to tip it past the keeper for the 6-0 lead.
The shutout is the Tar Heels' seventh of the season and was split by goalkeepers Kylie Walbert and Abigail Taylor. Walbert started and played the first half, making one save. Taylor played the second half and made three.
Carolina opened the day by honoring seniors Brooke Behan, Erin Matson, Madison Orobono, Romea Riccardo, Steph Weber and Paityn Wirth, as well as graduate student athletic trainer Lauren Woelffer and practice player Hayden Clay. (Senior Meredith Sholder, one of this year's team captains, participated in Senior Day last season then elected to return for 2022.)
"I was really pleased with the entire group, and so happy that all of our seniors could play," said Shelton, who played 24 Tar Heels in the win. "To honor the seniors and have everybody get the chance to play and contribute is a nice feeling. We've had some wins that haven't felt like wins, but this one felt like a win."
Saturday's game at Duke wraps up the regular season for Carolina. The Tar Heels then look ahead to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which is back in Durham on Nov. 1, 2, and 4.
No. 1 UNC 6, No. 9 SJU 0
Scoring: UNC – Ryleigh Heck, 2:55; UNC – Erin Matson, 7:50; UNC – Kennedy Cliggett (Matson), 12:26; UNC – Paityn Wirth (Jasmina Smolenaars), 17:56; UNC – Heck (Matson), 34:55; UNC – Heck (Matson), 45:50
Shots: UNC 17 (4/7/5/1), SJU 7 (1/0/5/1)
Penalty corners: UNC 6 (0/4/2/0), SJU 2 (1/0/1/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 4 (Kylie Walbert, 30:00, 0 goals allowed, 1 save; Abigail Taylor, 30:00, 0 goals allowed, 3 saves), SJU 7 (Robin Bleekemolen, 60:00, 6 goals allowed, 7 saves)
Defensive saves: UNC 1 (Madison Orobono)
Records: UNC 14-0, SJU 12-4
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