Tar Heels squeak by Monarchs in field hockey thriller
The post-Karen Shelton era for UNC field hockey is off to a solid start.
After 42 years leading a program with the most championships all-time, Shelton turned things over to Erin Matson, who helped the Tar Heels win four national championships. Shelton collected 745 wins in her time as UNC head coach, making her shoes extremely difficult to feel.
If there’s anyone that can continue leading the Heels to victories, it’s Matson.
So far, in her first year as head coach, Matson is doing a stellar job.
On Sunday afternoon in Norfolk, Va., UNC raced out to a 2-goal lead and held on for a tightly-contested, 2-1 victory over Old Dominion University.
The host Monarchs are second all-time in championships with nine, dominating the 1980’s and 90’s but not appearing in a single NCAA Tournament since 2013.
Paityn Wirth scored Carolina’s first goal just under four minutes in, deking out ODU goalie Suus Broers and finding the back corner of the net. Charly Bruder extended the Heels’ lead to 2-0 with a one-timer in the fourth quarter, only to be followed by a Monarch goal moments later.
Sitting at 4-1 with its only loss to top-ranked Iowa, the UNC field hockey program is in good hands.
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