Field Hockey Avenges First Loss

While triumphant cheers at Kenan Stadium could be heard throughout campus Saturday afternoon, the fans at field hockey's Henry Stadium were silenced by a visitor's single shot.

Kent State's Helen Jerden scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Golden Flashes stunned North Carolina 5-4.

The Tar Heels (6-1) avenged its first loss of the season and rebounded to defeat James Madison 3-1 on Sunday.

Against the Dukes, UNC coach Karen Shelton altered the starting lineup, taking freshmen Kerry Falgowski and Carey Fetting-Smith out and placing midfielders Carrie Lingo and Abby Martin into the backfield.

The changes gave the JMU offense fits. The Dukes were held without a goal until 1:02 remaining in the second half, after goalkeeper Amy Tran was pulled from the game in favor of her younger sister, Katy.

"We have a national team keeper (Amy Tran), and she shouldn't be getting five goals on her," Martin said. "I think (Shelton) wanted us to solidify the defense and start our attack from there."

Abbey Woolley paced the Tar Heels offensively, opening the scoring with a 15-yard blast 14 minutes into the first half.

Just two minutes later, Lingo found herself open 10 yards in front of the goal. With a flick of her stick, UNC grabbed a 2-0 lead, more than enough to handle JMU.

"We still need to work a lot of things offensively," Shelton said. "We've got to work on our offensive movement, but I wouldn't say I was disappointed. I think we are still learning and getting better."

While UNC was sound on both sides of the ball Sunday, the Tar Heels were flat and outplayed throughout their loss to Kent State.

The Golden Flashes consistently beat the Tar Heels to the ball and outcornered UNC 9-7. But North Carolina refused to go down without a fight.

After KSU's Arlette Van Cleeff pushed a right side goal through with 14:42 remaining in regulation to break a 3-3 tie, UNC didn't panic.

With four minutes remaining in regulation, the Tar Heels struck back. Martin fed a cross to Fetting-Smith inside the circle, who blasted the goal that forced overtime.

Two minutes in OT, the Golden Flashes drew a penalty corner. After two passes on the corner setup, Jerden freed herself from the UNC defense and drilled the game-winner from 10 yards away.

"I can't describe how disappointed we were. It just shouldn't have happened to begin with," Lingo said.

"It just showed that anyone can be beaten. It was kind of a humbling experience, which is maybe what we needed."

The junior back's clincher set off a fevered celebration from the Golden Flashes.

With distant Kenan Stadium cheers in the background, the team joyfully piled onto each other on the Henry Stadium turf.

"I'm very proud of their effort," Kent State coach Kerry De Vries said. "I think it's an honor to play UNC and watch the chemistry of their program.

"To come out here and to be able to beat this team is almost a dream come true for me."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.