UNC field hockey wins title rematch against Maryland

The last time the North Carolina and Maryland field hockey teams met, the Terrapins walked off the field with a national title in tow.

But Saturday at Henry Stadium, it was the No. 2 Tar Heels’ turn to leave with an accolade.

The Tar Heels (17-1, 5-0) knocked off No. 3 Maryland 2-1, clinching the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and securing the top seed in the upcoming ACC tournament in the process. On Sunday, UNC beat No. 7 Michigan 4-3 in double overtime on senior day.

The Maryland-UNC matchup featured two perennial powerhouses and familiar foes. The teams have met in the last two national championship games, with UNC winning in 2009 and Maryland taking last year’s double-overtime thriller.

Looking for their first win against Maryland in three games, the Tar Heels scored first in the eighth minute and again in the 50th minute, as junior Kelsey Kolojejchick corralled a rebound and lofted a shot over the diving keeper for her 17th goal.

North Carolina’s top-ranked defense dominated the first half of the game, holding the Terrapins shotless in the first 35 minutes. Maryland’s only goal came off a penalty corner after the clock had expired.

The Terrapins nearly cut the lead sooner, when UNC keeper Sassi Ammer came out of goal to play the ball and Maryland’s Maxine Fluharty sent a shot towards an open net. But UNC senior Meghan Dawson stepped in to record the save and keep Maryland scoreless.

“That was big,” coach Karen Shelton said. “When your goalie gets pulled out, you need somebody to cover, and that’s what experienced players do. So kudos to Meghan for making a big play at a critical time.”

The Tar Heels played both games this weekend without their senior captain, Katelyn Falgowski, who was competing for the U.S. National Team at the Pan American games in Mexico.

And though that loss didn’t appear to hurt them against Maryland, Michigan proved to be a tougher matchup for the Tar Heels on Sunday.

Down by a goal with the clock ticking, coach Shelton pulled Ammer from goal to give the Tar Heels a one-man advantage on the offensive end. The move paid off moments later in the 66th minute, as Kolojejchick ripped a shot that deflected off Jaclyn Gaudioso Radvany’s stick into the goal to knot the score at 3-3 and send the game into overtime.

With just under six minutes remaining in the second overtime period, the Tar Heels received a penalty stroke, and sophomore Marta Malmberg capitalized on the opportunity, sending the penalty shot into the top right corner of the cage for the win.

“Any time you’re down, you can’t just rely on skill,” said senior Elizabeth Stephens, who assisted on the Tar Heels’ first goal. “You have to look for something bigger than that. We knew it was going to be our passion and pride that was going to put us over the edge, and I think that’s how you come back from deficits like that.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.