In its second shutout performance of Labor Day Weekend, the No. 2 North Carolina field hockey team thoroughly dismantled Pennsylvania, 8-0, in Philadelphia on Sunday.
“I feel from last weekend to this weekend, we’ve made significant strides,” head coach Karen Shelton said of her undefeated team. “We’re growing every day.”
What happened?
UNC (4-0) had the momentum from almost the very beginning. Senior captain Ashley Hoffman scored the opening two goals in the first 20 minutes of the contest, both coming on penalty corners. Pennsylvania (1-1) struggled to break into the offensive third as UNC’s defensive pressure was overwhelming for the majority of the game.
Just before halftime in the 33rd minute, junior Catherine Hayden cleaned up a missed shot from sophomore Meredith Shoulder, successfully tipping in her first goal of the day.
The Tar Heels’ dominance continued after the break, as senior Marissa Creatore knocked in her first goal of the season in the 37th minute. A minute later, Hayden drove into the Quakers’ defense with ease as she scored her second goal. By the 53-minute mark, Hayden completed her hat trick performance by nailing the ball into the back of the net.
UNC’s depth proved to be too much for Pennsylvania as first-year Hannah Griggs and junior Feline Guenther added a goal each to the final total.
“This is one of the differences between last year’s team and this year’s team — we are deeper,” Shelton said. “So we can throw more fresh legs into the game without hurting the intensity, the pace and the flow of the game. That’s a luxury that we haven’t had these past couple of years."
By threatening with intense defense and quick ball movement all game, Shelton was pleased with her team’s performance. The Tar Heels finished with more penalty corners (10-3) and outshot the Quakers (22-3) in the game.
