UNC dismantles Radford on senior night

Moments before the opening face-off of North Carolina’s 6-1 win against Radford Sunday afternoon, Caitlin Van Sickle’s mind could have easily wandered.

Her thoughts, understandably, could have strayed to the day at Henry Stadium four years ago, when her North Carolina field hockey career began with just 10 minutes of playing time against Wake Forest that she recalled — with a laugh — as a “negative start” to her collegiate career.

But her eyes remained on the ball at midfield, her mind focused on the task at hand.

“I was not really emotional at all,” the senior Van Sickle said. “It was just another game.”

It might have been senior day, but Van Sickle’s teammates followed their captain’s composed demeanor, approaching the game like any other.

Team-leading goal scorer Charlotte Craddock recorded a hat trick, Kelsey Kolojejchick added two goals and an assist and the No. 1 North Carolina women’s field hockey team capped its nearly flawless regular season Sunday at Henry Stadium with a clinical drubbing of unranked Radford.

“This day does not feel final,” coach Karen Shelton said, “because we still have the ACC Tournament and the NCAAs, and hopefully we will be able to host the NCAAs here.”

“We still have some time with this group,” she added. “This day is not sad for me.”

The Tar Heels (18-1, 5-0) certainly played like a team secure in the knowledge of having ample time left in their season, overwhelming Radford (2-17) in a lopsided affair that reflected a matchup between an unranked squad and a national powerhouse.

After peppering the Radford goal with a flurry of shots, Kolojejchick finally cracked the seal 17 minutes into the first half, redirecting a Samantha Travers shot off a corner into the upper reaches of the net to open the scoring.

Craddock rifled her first goal of the day inside the near post in the 24th minute, and the Tar Heels would enter halftime with a mere two-goal lead despite outshooting Radford 20-1.

Kolojejchick extended UNC’s lead just minutes into the second half, knifing through the Radford defense and artfully spinning around the challenging Radford goalkeeper before firing a backhander into the open cage.

“It always feels good to score,” Kolojejchick said. “It’s great to have some confidence entering the conference tournament.”

While reflecting on her senior players, Shelton lauded their contributions during their tenure, which solidified the Tar Heels as perennial national title contenders.

Van Sickle, who refused to succumb to sentimentality, flashed a quick smile when asked if the Tar Heels are prepared to render senior day a mere prelude to a run to a third straight national championship game.

“We’re not done yet,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.