Penalty corners have been a large source of frustration for the North Carolina field hockey team this season, but in Wednesday’s 5-1 win against Longwood, No. 2 UNC finally showed progress in converting the important set pieces.
But, for a while, it appeared as though the Tar Heels would have more trouble capitalizing on the corners. After four missed corner opportunities in less than seven minutes, junior Caitlin Van Sickle scored off a set piece started by Teryn Brill to put UNC ahead 1-0.
Three minutes later, redshirt freshman Samantha Travers scored off another penalty after receiving the ball directly from the sideline.
Junior Katie Ardrey, who assisted Travers on the play, said that UNC can score so long as they execute better.
“We need to tighten up some things and once we do that, we can score every time,” she said.
Four of the Tar Heels’ five goals were scored on 13 corner attempts Wednesday night. The improvement comes after UNC scored only one goal on 11 corner attempts in its only loss of the season so far against then-No. 2 Old Dominion last Friday.
Senior Elizabeth Stephens, who has assumed the captain’s role in lieu of senior Katelyn Falgowski, who is out with an injury, said the team’s success on corners is largely due to different strategies.
“We’re always bringing in new things, finding new ways to outsmart what the other team thinks that you’re going to do,” she said.
Stephens added that practice also plays a major role in achieving success on the set pieces.