DURHAM – Coaches will often speak about the impact a first goal can have on a player’s psyche. After the first one goes in, everything gets simpler. At least, that’s how the theory goes.
North Carolina field hockey is hoping that’s the case with first-year Eva Smolenaars.
One of three Dutch players on the Tar Heels' roster, the midfielder scored the first goal of her collegiate career in No. 7 UNC’s 2-1 overtime victory against No. 10 Boston College on Saturday. It was the team's first game at Duke’s Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, its temporary home for the 2017 season.
On a day where the Tar Heels dominated the proceedings and had several prolonged stretches of good play offensively, Smolenaars was one of the few UNC players who could actually convert a good chance into a goal.
Just over three minutes into the game, she opened the scoring as her shot found its way past Boston College goalkeeper Sarah Dwyer.
“I went to the circle and I saw an open spot,” Smolenaars said. “So nobody came up to me and I eventually thought, ‘Just shoot it.’”
Her intuition was right.
Once Smolenaars saw the ball in the back of the net, the joy came. She immediately thought of everybody back home in the Netherlands. Despite being thousands of miles away, Smolenaars’ family was watching her big moment thanks to an online stream.
Even in the immediate moments after her goal, she thought of her loved ones.