Field hockey hopes to end title drought

After winning the 2009 NCAA championship, the North Carolina field hockey team has experienced heartbreak in four consecutive seasons.

In the 2010 championship, Maryland won in double overtime 3-2.

In the 2011 championship, Maryland won in overtime 3-2.

In the 2012 championship, Princeton won in regulation, once again, 3-2.

And in 2013, Connecticut bested UNC in the semifinal game 2-1 in a penalty shootout.

“For most teams, (last year) would be considered a successful season,” junior forward Casey Di Nardo said. “To us personally, we didn’t take it as much of a success because we want to be the best.”

That might be a tough critique on an 18-6 team that lost to UConn in penalty strokes, but credit the history and success that coach Karen Shelton has built over the years.

In 33 years at UNC, Shelton has won 568 games, six national championships and 18 ACC titles.

“As a benchmark for our program, we’ve always felt that getting to the final four is a huge success,” Shelton said. “It’s unrealistic to win it every year. I don’t want our kids to be disappointed if you make it to the final four and you don’t win it.”

Looking to reverse the trend, the players got to see the game through a new lens during the summer. The team traveled to Holland to play and to observe the Rabobank Hockey World Cup.

“ We got to experience different cultures of field hockey and the different styles of play, which will really help our play,” said midfielder Emily Wold.

Shelton said watching the Dutch specifically opened up her eyes.

“We really were impressed with the Dutch, not only their skill but the way they handled and carried the ball,” Shelton said. “They grow up playing the game so skillfully, they’re the best in the world. What we loved about the Dutch was their off-ball movement, particularly on the attack. They’re just moving all the time.”

With a talented returning squad and new styles and tricks to integrate into its game, UNC will have another good shot at a national championship. Key contributors like Wold, Di Nardo, Emma Bozek and Sassi Ammer will form an experienced nucleus.

Preseason predictions placed UNC No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC.

To start off its quest to end the four-year championship drought, UNC will open the season this weekend in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge against No. 17 Michigan on Saturday and No. 20 Iowa on Sunday.

“Iowa has some great attackers,” Di Nardo said. “They have a really fast forward, Nat Cafone, and she loves to score.”

The postseason result ultimately determines the success or failure of UNC’s season, and the long regular season can be an arduous process to get back to the postseason, but Wold said she’s focused solely on Michigan.

“It can be a burden, and sometimes you don’t really focus as much on games, and you think too much ahead,” Wold said. “I think a big goal for us this season is to take each game day by day and focus on that and not look far ahead or look at the end result.”

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