Aggressive second half propels No. 6 UNC field hockey team over No. 3 Virginia, 4-0

The No. 6 North Carolina field hockey team took down the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers, 4-0, on Friday in Charlottesville, Va. 

What happened?

The Tar Heels (11-2, 3-1 ACC) scored three of their four goals in the second half to handle the Cavaliers. UNC got goals from four different players — junior midfielder Ashley Hoffman, sophomore midfielder Catherine Hayden, sophomore forward Marissa Creatore and sophomore midfielder Feline Guenther. 

It was almost a scoreless first half for the Tar Heels, until Hoffman broke the seal in the final minute of the opening half. Junior midfielder Eva van’t Hoog controlled the ball off of a missed corner shot and found Hoffman, who found the back of the net to give North Carolina a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. 

UNC played more aggressively in the second half, taking a total of 17 shot attempts compared to just five in the first. Hayden and Creatore both scored less than 20 minutes into the second half — stretching the Tar Heels’ lead to 3-0. 

Finally, in the 67th minute of the game, Guenther smacked a rebound into the back of the goal to complete North Carolina’s shutout. 

Who stood out?

Redshirt first-year goalkeeper Amanda Hendry was one of the main reasons the Tar Heels were able to hold Virginia scoreless. The Cavaliers took 12 shots throughout the game, with five of them on goal. Hendry saved all five of UVA’s shots on goal.  

When was it decided?

After starting the game with a conservative approach, the Tar Heels asserted themselves in the second half of action. UNC only held a one point advantage going into halftime, but two different Tar Heels scoring just 16 minutes into the second half put the game out of reach for UVA. 

The Cavaliers only attempted six shots in the second half, versus UNC’s 17 second-half attempts. UVA had a limited number of opportunities and it failed to execute on those, leading to a shutout.

Why does it matter?

With this win, the Tar Heels improve to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. This also marks North Carolina’s fifth shutout of the season. 

UNC’s 11-2 start to the season matches its start from last season — when the Tar Heels finished the campaign with 20 wins and earned a trip to the NCAA championship game. North Carolina is led by its defense, who has just given up more than one goal in just three out of its 13 games played. If UNC can sustain this defensive intensity, this could be another special year for the group. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will next host Louisville on Oct. 14 in Durham. 

@pupadhyaya_

sports@dailytarheel.com