Tar Heels Battle For FH Win At UAlbany

Sunday, October 15

Albany, N.Y.

Noon

North Carolina

(11-2, 4-0)

UAlbany

(9-5, 5-1)

North Carolina

UAlbany

Katie Dixon and the Tar Heels earned a 4-3 win at UAlbany on Sunday.

Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

October 15, 2023 | Field Hockey

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. – The North Carolina field hockey team battled back from a halftime deficit to earn a 4-3 nonconference win on Sunday afternoon at UAlbany, 4-3. On a chilly, windy day at the Great Danes' Alumni Turf, four different Tar Heels scored and Ryleigh Heck notched the gamewinner on a penalty corner with 2:35 remaining in the game.

"It was a hard-fought win and that's good for this group," UNC coach Erin Matson said. "it's a good lesson for any team. The scoresheet shows that we have lots of players that can contribute and finish, and even the names that aren't on the sheet really stepped up.

"We'll just continue to try to have as many threats as possible and keep building and growing. We walk away with lessons from everything, and we'll definitely take some from this weekend."

With a win in the final nonconference game of the regular season, Carolina improved to 11-2 overall and next turns its attention back to Atlantic Coast Conference play. Next up is a trip to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the Cavaliers Friday in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

UNC opened its New York weekend with a 4-1 ACC win at No. 13 Syracuse on Friday before traveling to Albany for another battle with a ranked team. No. 19 UAlbany came out hot for Sunday's noon start, outshooting the Tar Heels 5-0 in the scoreless first quarter. Forty-one seconds into the second period, Carolina was awarded a stroke and freshman Sanne Hak nailed it for the second game in a row and third time this season.

The host Great Danes answered with two goals on penalty corners to take the lead. In both cases, UNC keeper Maddie Kahn saved the initial shot but UA scored off the rebound, with Mara Kuskes on the first goal and Blanca Orsola the second to put the hosts up 2-1 at halftime.

After UA led 8-0 in penalty corners in the first half, UNC drew its first of the day four minutes into the third quarter and made it count. UAlbany keeper Lara Behn saved the initial shot but UNC got the rebound back and Ryleigh Heck flipped the ball toward the left post where Paityn Wirth batted it in to tie the score at 2-2.

The Tar Heels took their first lead of the game just over two minutes later, when Hak carried the ball into the circle and to the baseline then sent a pass back out to senior Kiersten Thomassey at the front of the cage. The senior buried it to put UNC up 3-2.

The Great Danes answered just over a minute later, scoring on their only penalty corner of the second half. The game stayed locked up at 3-3 until the final minutes of the game, when UNC's Jasmina Smolenaars drew a penalty corner with just under three minutes remaining. Sophomore Sietske Brüning took the initial hit and Heck deflected it up and over the UA keeper. Another UAlbany defender got her stick on it but couldn't stop it from bouncing into the cage to put the Tar Heels up 4-3.

It marked the second game in a row that UNC has gotten goals from four different players and also the second game in a row that the Tar Heels have been outshot. Friday's game, in which the Orange led 8-6 in shots, was the first time this season an opponent got off more shots than UNC, and Sunday's game was the second as UAlbany finished with a 16-12 advantage, 13-2 in the first half. UAlbany also led in corners, 9-6 (8-0 in the first half).

"Albany came out with fire and they did not let up throughout the entire four quarters," Matson said. "It was a challenge for us to contain their speed and their aggression. They gave it their all and played a great match."

No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 19 UAlbany 3
Scoring: UNC – Sanne Hak (penalty stroke), 15:42; UA – Mara Kuskes (23:29); UA – Blanca Orsola, 27:32; UNC – Paityn Wirth (Ryleigh Heck), 34:09; UNC – Kiersten Thomassey (Hak)., 36:31; UA – Alison Smisdom (Orsola, Kuskes), 37:52; UNC – Heck (Sietske Brüning), 57:25
Shots: UNC 12 (0/2/8/2), UA 16 (5/8/3/0)
Penalty corners: UNC 6 (0/0/5/1), UA 9 (4/4/1/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 7 (Maddie Kahn, 60:00, 3 goals allowed, 7 saves),. UA 5 (Lara Behn, 57:25, 4 goals allowed, 5 saves; Team, 2:35, 0 goals allowed, 0 saves)
Records: UNC 11-2 (4-0 ACC), UAlbany 9-5 (5-1 America East)