Field Hockey Sets Record In Weekend Barrage

Pass the ball around or let the youngsters play.

The Tar Heels, having already tallied 10 goals through the contest's first 50 minutes at Henry Stadium, could either stop scoring or continue their offensive onslaught.

"We kind of wanted to follow Anson's (Dorrance) rule where he gets to nine as quickly as possible and then passes it around," Shelton said.

"But it got to the point where we were putting in kids who were playing for the first time. We didn't want to humiliate VCU; that was not our intention."

Shelton's efficient youngsters did continue to score, pushing three more goals home in the waning minutes to set a school record in the 13-0 victory.

The triumph came a day after UNC (3-0) defeated ninth-ranked Penn State 3-1.

The Tar Heels' previous high mark for goals was 10, most recently attained on Oct. 10, 2000 against Radford.

Though the team didn't intend to set records Sunday, the final score was somewhat mind-boggling.

"Normally, you don't aim to score that much on a team because it's not really good sportsmanship," senior forward Abbey Woolley said. "But (the goals) came, and there were the opportunities, and you couldn't pass them up."

From the opening faceoff against VCU, the Tar Heels were able to perpetually keep the ball on their side of the field.

North Carolina's aggressive offense led to 11 penalty corners, two penalty strokes and 35 shots on goal.

UNC's backs applied constant defensive pressure as well, holding VCU without a shot on goal the entire 70 minutes of action.

But the real story of the weekend was the contributions from North Carolina's young and unsung heroes, who made the most of their late minutes.

Nine players scored during Sunday's eruption, including career firsts by true freshmen Kerry Falgowski, Charlotte Plugge and redshirt freshman Amber Chambers.

"I'm proud of those kids," Shelton said. "Amber is a great example -- she's been playing really well in practice. She needed to be able to get in there and try hard."

UNC benefited from timely offense and defensive stops Saturday against the Nittany Lions.

The Tar Heels closed the half locked in a 1-1 tie but were able to raise their energy in the second half.

North Carolina wasted little time after intermission to regain the lead, drawing a penalty corner four minutes into the half.

On the corner option, senior sweeper Abby Martin blasted a shot that ricocheted off the Nittany Lion defenders.

Senior midfielder Carrie Lingo, in front of the right side of the net, redirected the ball into the left side of the goal.

Then, with 10 minutes remaining and the Tar Heels clutching a one-goal lead, Martin struck again.

She was fed a perfect cross by Woolley and was able to slide past the goalie on the right side, flicking the clincher to the left corner.

"Everyone really works together in the offense," Woolley said. "We are building through a lot of passes, which is a lot of fun."

North Carolina can take the lessons it learned from this weekend's matches to Philadelphia on Saturday, where the Tar Heels will face fourth-ranked Michigan.

"I was proud of the effort on both days," Shelton said. "I thought the kids ran hard -- that is, generating energy and counterattacks for us.

"This was the first weekend we put it into play, and I thought we were very successful."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.