Members of Field Hockey's ACC 50th Anniversary Team Support the Tar Heels

In conjunction with the University honoring alumni named to the ACC 50th anniversary teams at the football game, several of the 20 UNC field hockey players who were honored made the trip to Chapel Hill.

The former players made it a double-header by watching the 7th-ranked Tar Heels defeat the Tribe early Saturday.

"I think (this year's team) is very good," said Bashi Buba, who played from 1975-79. "They certainly move the ball well; they play smart; they look for the open player."

Buba, the first UNC field hockey player to receive a scholarship, noticed a change in the sport's popularity -- she played field hockey before the sport was a part of the NCAA.

"It was almost like a pseudo-club team," Buba said.

Despite the sport's lack of extensive recruiting during her tenure, Buba's school record of 81 career goals stood until Cindy Werley broke it in '97.

Two-time All American and Player of the Year finalist Lori Bruney (1984-87) also noticed how much the game has changed since she graduated.

"You don't have as many whistle stops," Bruney said. "(The women) are much better athletes than when I played."

Though she returned often during the first few years after her career, Saturday was the first game Bruney had attended in seven years.

The weekend also was significant for UNC coach Karen Shelton, who coached all but one of the 20 honorees during her tenure at UNC.

"It was an incredibly special weekend," Shelton said.

"As a coach and a teacher here at Carolina for 22 years, part of the way I measure my success is how (the athletes) come back 10 and 15 years later. I really think that I have an influence on them, and to see them doing so well ... it was really, really special."

Shelton added that she had hoped the return of the Tar Heel greats would inspire her team, but her expectation was not met in Sunday's 2-1 loss to No. 3 Wake Forest.

Jennifer Clark (1988-91), a sweeper on the school's first national championship team in '89, commented on UNC's defense, which has allowed four goals in its last four games.

"I was impressed with the way the defense worked together as a unit," said Clark, a two-time NCAA tournament MVP.

However, upon being asked her favorite UNC memories, Clark thought of one reason why she was happy to be a spectator instead of a participator.

"The suicides," she laughed.

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