Field Hockey Squashes Spiders, 6-1

Friday, October 24

Chapel Hill

5 PM

North Carolina

(15-1, 6-1)

Richmond

(9-7, 4-1)

Richmond

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

October 24, 2025 | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: William Soulé

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A dominant first half performance powered No. 1 Carolina field hockey to a comfortable 6-1 win over Richmond on Friday night in Karen Shelton Stadium.

The Tar Heels (15-1, 6-1 ACC) scored five times in the first 25 minutes to take a firm hold of their second to last regular season game of 2025. The nation's No. 2 scoring offense continued to roll coming off a 12 goal output the weekend prior.

Richmond held out as long as they could before Dani Mendez broke the game open with a pair of goals within a minute of each other. The first came off a smart redirect of a ball in from Reese Anetsberger and the second from a scramble in front of goal that saw the ball bounce her way nicely for a quick finish.

Mendez has been invaluable this season for Carolina. The senior transfer is the first Tar Heel to reach double digits in both goals and assists as part of the three-headed attacking monster alongside Ryleigh Heck and Charly Bruder, all of whom are over 30 points on the season now.

Speaking of the other two-thirds of that trio, UNC's remaining goals on the night came off the sticks of Heck and Bruder who continue to battle atop the team leaderboard.

It was reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year Ryleigh Heck that scored next two. Good positioning in the circle put her in the right spot to finish off a shot from Bruder to make it three for Carolina. The fourth was a true team goal as Grace Pottebaum and Isabel Boere in the backline worked it around to Eliza Perrin who scampered past the Spiders' defense to find an open Heck for an easy score.

Then the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Week Charly Bruder got a goal of her own before the stroke of halftime with her signature rocket shot from the top of the circle. The strike made it seven goals in six games for the junior.

Heck popped up in the second half to make it six for Carolina. Prowling once again in the center of the circle, Sanne Hak provided the deliver this time to give Heck her second hat trick of the season.

The hat trick has historical significance for Heck, who moved into sole possession of the seventh most goals in Carolina field hockey history on the evening with 62 now in her career. She will need six more to sneak into a three-way tie with Kelsey Kolojejcick and Louise Hines at 68.

She will have the chance to make progress toward that mark in the Tar Heels' next game against Duke on Halloween night at 6 p.m. It will be Senior Day for Heck and seven of her teammates.