The No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team completed its second straight shutout against a ranked opponent on Friday afternoon. The Tar Heel went into Bedford Field to defeat No. 8 Princeton, 2-0, in a tense, competitive game.
What happened?
UNC (2-1) captured the lead from the get-go as first-year forward Meredith Sholder rifled one past the goalie just four minutes into the contest.
“It was a big-time shot early in the game that really gave our team a huge lift,” head coach Karen Shelton said.
Princeton (0-1) could have faltered to the pressure of an early 1-0 deficit. However, the Tigers maintained their composure and never surrendered.
The first half was a highly defensive matchup from both sides. Besides the opening score from the Tar Heels, each team made it nearly impossible for the other to establish any rhythm on offense. Both sides struggled with getting into the shooting circle with full possession of the ball, as swarms of defenders would frequently stop any offensive attack within its tracks.
For the majority of the second half, the pacing was more of the same until a foul was called with around 13 minutes left to play that rewarded Princeton with an opportunity to tie the game. Despite this favorable penalty stroke for Ryan McCarthy, redshirt first-year goalkeeper Amanda Hendry arguably made the play-of-the-game by providing a timely save that kept UNC in the lead.
“It was huge,” Shelton said. “They had been putting some pressure on us, so it was a huge momentum shift.”
Five minutes shortly after Hendry’s clutch moment, the offense took advantage as a redirected shot concluded with Gab Major converting the game-winning goal, securing the victory for the Tar Heels.
