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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC dominates Davidson

Nation's No. 1 team improves to 12-0

The North Carolina field hockey team has found most of its game.

The No.1 team has found the simple pass to move the ball down the field.

Sophomore Rachel Dawson has found her powerful drag flick.

The defense has found shots on goal and cleared them, shutting out eight teams this season.

But Coach Karen Shelton said the Tar Heels (12-0, 2-0 in the ACC) have yet to find the corners of the goal - those sweet spots that goalkeepers have difficulty guarding.

Despite shutting out Davidson 4-0 Tuesday, Shelton said she would have liked to see more of the team's 49 shots converted into goals.

"It's not so much that we needed more than four tonight, but I want us to be able to get our eyes up, find the goalkeeper and pass the ball around her," Shelton said.

UNC kept the ball within 50 yards of the Davidson goal for most of the game but had difficulty deflecting the ball into the net.

Defender Katy Potter raced toward the Wildcats' goal with five minutes left in the game and took a shot right at the goalie's pads.

She said she was able to correct her mistake on the next play, taking a shot that was then deflected in by sophomore Karen Mann for the game's final goal.

"We're trying to deflect the ball towards goal," Shelton said. "What we've been doing lately is deflecting the ball out of bounds. So, in effect, we're saving a shot on goal, and that's the problem."

Although UNC claimed 15 offensive corners, Shelton said she still was frustrated that the team gave up two to Davidson (3-6).

"We cannot expect to have continued success if we give away that many penalty corners," Shelton said, also referring to the 12 corners the team allowed against Duke on Saturday.

But the Tar Heels did not give up any shots on goal.

On the other side of the field, Davidson goalkeeper Sarah Nolan faced 49 shots and made 19 saves.

"She was outstanding," said Davidson coach Lisa Thompson. "She was aggressive and focused and really came out hard on one-v-ones. I think the entire team defense was the best I've ever seen it."

The North Carolina offense gave the Wildcat defense a workout as Davidson tallied three defensive saves.

"We dominated the game," Potter said. "They really had a lot of their whole team on the defense, and it was hard to find space to move around when everyone's just crowded in the circle."

With the game against No. 2 Wake Forest looming Saturday, UNC viewed the Davidson match as the calm before the storm.

"Every game seems like it's this big game against a ranked opponent," Shelton said. "To have a non-ranked opponent where we know they're not quite at our level gives us some time to relax.

"I wanted the girls to have a good time playing tonight, to play unselfishly, but not to focus too much on one tactic or strategy."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.

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