Despite the damp conditions of the field, the North Carolina field hockey team poured it on with stifling defense and a nifty hat trick from an unlikely source.
In a sloppy display through unfavorable terrain, No. 3 UNC (8-1, 2-1 ACC) doused No. 11 Boston College (5-4, 0-2 ACC) for a 5-0 victory in front of 250 undeterred fans.
The first twenty minutes of the game provided little action for the soaked onlookers, with both teams giving up prime scoring opportunities in a back-and-forth affair.
Boston College's McCoy sisters — Emily and Eryn — gave the Eagles their best scoring opportunity in the eighteenth minute, but their efforts were thwarted by the Tar Heels' stingy defense.
The Eagles blocked a promising UNC shot shortly after, but North Carolina was given a second chance with its first penalty stroke of the season, which senior Nina Notman promptly drove into the lower corner to secure an early 1-0 for the Tar Heels.
UNC peppered Boston College's goalkeeper with shots throughout the remainder of the period, but none made it to the back of the net — until the final minute of the first half, when freshman Eva van’t Hoog executed a flawless cross that senior Casey Di Nardo redirected into the goal for a 2-0 Tar Heel advantage.
And when UNC took the field for the second half, the team gave its poncho-clad fans a reason to stay.
Twenty minutes into the second period, sophomore Gab Major flooded the Eagles with three goals in just over three minutes — earning the first hat trick of her collegiate career. Two of the goals were scored from a scramble in front of the net, showing the sophomore's knack for knowing where to be and how to get the ball into the net.
And after Major's third goal gave UNC a five-goal edge, the defense drowned the Eagles' opportunistic attack. Junior goalkeeper Shannon Johnson put on yet another dominant display, notching four saves in her third straight shutout performance.
