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The Daily Tar Heel

The North Carolina field hockey team claimed wins over Michigan and Iowa in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge this weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. But the manner in which the Tar Heels came out on top contrasted.

On Saturday, the No. 2 Tar Heels (2-0) grabbed their first win of the year in a nail-biter against the No. 14 Wolverines (0-2).

The best first-half scoring chance for either team came in the waning minutes of the first period, as the Wolverines finally created a quality opportunity — only to be denied by UNC goalie Shannon Johnson.

The two teams struggled to a stalemate in the first half, but forward Malin Evert scored just five minutes into the second period. Forward Casey Di Nardo followed with a goal of her own, giving the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead.

The advantage did not stand for long, as Michigan scored with just over 15 minutes left.

The Wolverines pulled their goalie with nearly two minutes left in an attempt to tie the game but could not break the Tar Heel defense.

On Sunday, UNC grabbed yet another 2-1 win — but in an entirely different fashion.

Midfielder Nina Notman began the scoring fewer than three minutes into the game against No. 17 Iowa (1-1).

Senior Emily Wold added to her team’s tally with another goal, giving UNC a comfortable 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Iowa immediately put pressure on UNC in the second period, which resulted in a goal just over a minute into the second half.

The Tar Heels found a way to stifle the Iowa attack after forward Lauren Moyer’s defensive stop at the top of the circle took some momentum away from the rallying Hawkeye squad.

Led by junior Julia Young, the UNC defense successfully kept Iowa off the board for the remainder of the match.

Quotable

“I’m pleased that we got two solid wins, but we didn’t play well all weekend. We were pretty disjointed. Now we know where we need to improve.” — Coach Karen Shelton.

Notable

The team had a banquet for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and toured the Michigan football stadium. Shelton said exploring the “Big House” was a memorable moment for the team.

Three numbers that matter

4 a.m.: The time the Tar Heels left UNC on Friday to fly to Michigan.

645: Miles from UNC’s campus to Ann Arbor, Mich.

2: Total goals UNC allowed in two games.

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What’s next?

The Tar Heels travel to Princeton on Friday to take on the Tigers at 4 p.m.

sports@dailytarheel.com