UNC field hockey excels on set plays

Kelsey Kolojejchick stood, patiently waiting on the right side of the striking circle for her team’s penalty corner.

The play began to play out on the field precisely as it had played out in her mind during practice — until Duke goalie Samantha Nelson blocked the shot.

But Kolojejchick stepped in and tipped the ball over Nelson’s left shoulder of for the score.

North Carolina’s freshman midfielder did it again on the following penalty corner attempt.

“It’s her style and I think that last year we had players in that spot, and we couldn’t get much production out of it,” coach Karen Shelton said.

“Kelsey’s come in and been able to produce both in scoring just from our initial option to that side and also on rebounds.”

Kolojejchick, a freshman midfielder, led the No. 2 UNC in scoring with her two goals, but it was what she did in the open field that was most impressive.

She was constantly pushing  the ball downfield. If someone else took it from her, she was likely going to get it back.

“I hate losing the ball,” Kolojejchick said. “It gets me really frustrated, so I just do what I can to get it back every time.”

And Kolojejchick got the ball back almost every time she was dispossessed, and if she didn’t, she poked it to a teammate.

She outhustled her opponents and turned those opportunities into transition offense.

“I think she’s a winner,” Shelton said. “She’s a kid that you want on your team. She’s hungry. She’s aggressive. She’s fast. She plays with confidence. She wins a lot of fifty-fifty balls.”

Kolojejchick played with full confidence against the rival Blue Devils in a game that she described as both exciting and nerve-racking.

But those nerves were suppressed with each goal UNC piled on.

“We have great leadership,” Kolojejchick said. “They told us before, you know we always prep in the beginning of the game, and they said, ‘This is our rivalry, this is our house. We gotta take it to them’. And clearly, we did.”

Kolojejchick has taken it to opponents herself as well.

Ten games into the season, Kolojejchick is second on the team in points. She’s put in 12 goals, while adding five assists.

So it should come as no surprise that, thus far, she’s lived up to the hype as one of the top hockey recruits coming out of high school.

At Wyoming Seminary, she was a three-time All-American and an all-region selection. She was even honored as the National High School Coaches Association Senior Athlete of the Year for field hockey.

And most recently, she’s been involved with the national team as a member of the U-21 squad.

But even without these accolades, it’s Kolojejchick’s start to the season that has garnered notice from teammates and coaches alike.

“She doesn’t play like a freshman,” Shelton said. “So I’m just so proud of her for playing as hard as she does and having the success that she’s had early in her career.”


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.