With COVID-19 bringing spring and winter competitions to an early end, we took an earlier-than-expected stab at handing out some of North Carolina's end of season athletic awards.
Karen Shelton has come a long way since her humble beginnings with UNC's field hockey team all the way back in 1981. The 10-time ACC Coach of the Year has won 22 ACC titles and eight national championships, but despite her success she still keeps the same hardworking energy that has propelled her teams to greatness.
Over the past 10 years, Karen Shelton has headed one of the most successful athletics programs in the country, let alone at UNC. Brian Keyes sat down with Shelton to talk about field hockey, UNC and women's athletics over the past 10 years for the The Daily Tar Heel's special Decade in Review series.
When this one was over, they ran: to their coaches, to their teammates, to parents and siblings and fans alike. They ran to whoever they could find, really, to celebrate a second straight season of literal perfection — one that ended with a 6-1 win over Princeton in the NCAA championship Sunday for the dynastic program that is North Carolina field hockey. And take it from the players themselves: all this pomp and circumstance? The rushing of the field, the tears, the hugs, the pure joy of the moment? It doesn’t get old.
UNC field hockey once again claimed the national championship. The Tar Heels defeated Princeton during Sunday's NCAA championship game. This is the second consecutive season that the team was undefeated. Here's how their season went down:
For the eighth time in program history, and the second year in a row, the UNC field hockey team is a national champion.
Erin Matson scored four goals on six shots — including two crucial ones in the second period — to tie an NCAA record for a semifinal send the now 22-0 Tar Heels to Sunday’s title game against Princeton.
The Tar Heels (22-0) beat Boston College, 6-3, in an NCAA semifinal game Friday afternoon. The reigning champions will now face either Princeton or Virginia in the NCAA championship match.
If the Tar Heels can win two games and get another national championship, they will achieve a second straight undefeated season and extend the nation's longest winning streak to 46 games going back to last year.
Guenther, who played a year of field hockey at the University of Hamburg in Germany before transferring to UNC, said her motivation this year has been simple. Shelton and the team have given her so much over the last three years. It’s only fair that she gives something back.
The No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team (21-0, 6-0 ACC) knocked off Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, earning head coach Karen Shelton her 11th straight Final Four berth and preserving a second straight undefeated season for the Tar Heels.
To open the NCAA Tournament on Friday, the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team had a difficult first round matchup against Stanford, which features some of the best players in the country. However, teamwork made the dream work for the the Tar Heels, and that was as evident as ever in their 4-0 victory.
In an NCAA Tournament first-round game at Shelton Stadium, the undefeated Tar Heels routed Stanford, 4-0, and advanced to Sunday’s second-round game against Iowa.
When the North Carolina field hockey team trumped Boston College in the ACC Tournament final on Sunday, it preserved a second-straight perfect season. Now, starting Friday, the Tar Heels will look to finish the job.
The No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team (19-0, 6-0 acc) defeated Boston College (13-7, 4-2 ACC) 3-1 on Sunday to preserve a perfect season and capture the team's third ACC title in a row.
With the return of sophomore Erin Matson, the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year, the North Carolina field hockey team scored early and never looked back in its 3-1 win over Louisville in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
The North Carolina field hockey team faces high expectations to keep their streak of national championships going as five players are set to earn All-ACC field hockey honors.
After not scoring a single goal in the No. 1 UNC field hockey team's first 17 games of the season, senior Feline Guenther scored twice in Sunday's game against No. 13 Saint Joseph's, one of which was the game-winner to put the finishing touch on North Carolina's second straight undefeated regular season.
The North Carolina field hockey team defeated Old Dominion 1-0 after senior goalkeeper Alex Halpin had six saves. The senior recorded her second start and the second shoutout game of her career.
After rehabbing a toe injury and missing practicing for a week, North Carolina senior Yentl Leemans returned to the field on Friday to score the game-winning goal in the field hockey team's 3-2 win over Boston College.
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