Field Hockey Splits Games After Weekend Double OTs

The Tar Heels put in a lot of extra time on the field this weekend, falling to Kent State 2-1 on Sunday and defeating Duke 5-4 on Saturday, with both games going into double overtime.

"I feel pleased with the weekend," said UNC coach Karen Shelton. "I feel to a certain extent that this was a breakthrough weekend for us. I think we came a great distance in terms of our development."

After Saturday's victory at Duke, UNC (7-5, 2-1 in the ACC) felt confident going into Sunday's home game against No. 10 Kent State (8-2).

The Tar Heels came out firing, popping off 18 shots in the first half, in part because of nine penalty corners.

Despite the UNC's efforts, the game went into the half tied, thanks to Kent State goalkeeper Jessica Creede's 11 saves.

Scoring picked up nine minutes into the second half when UNC midfielder Laura Douglas caught a rebound off Creede's pads, lined up a shot and powered it into the goal.

A minute later the Golden Flashes responded with a goal of their own, a classic penalty corner blast by Helen Jerdan.

The trend of UNC attacks and Kent State stops continued through the rest of the second half, leaving the score tied at 1.

North Carolina had nine corners after regulation, but their best chance to end the game came with 4:26 left in the second overtime when UNC missed a rare penalty stroke opportunity.

A penalty corner with six seconds left gave the Tar Heels one last chance, but a fumbled stick-stop ensured that the game would end in a shootout.

The shootout came down to the final shot, with each team matching shots and misses in their first four attempts.

After senior Meredith Keller missed the Tar Heel's fifth shot, Creede stepped out of her goalie box to go head-to-head with UNC goalkeeper Amy Tran for the final shot. Creede flicked the ball past Tran into the upper left corner of the net to clinch the game for the Golden Flashes.

"We played really well (Sunday)," Tran said. "We showed our fitness, but we need to play a little smarter and finish when we have the opportunity."

While Sunday saw UNC receiving a heart-breaking loss, they began the weekend by dispensing one against No. 12 Duke (7-4, 0-2).

The game started off slowly, but heated up when UNC forward Kelsey Keeran dumped in a shot to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead. Duke scored four minutes later, and the teams continued to trade goals throughout the match.

Duke threatened with repeated penalty corners in the second overtime, but UNC would end it with just more than four minutes to play.

Forward Kerry Falgowski broke downfield with three Duke players in tow and dumped the ball off to a streaking Keller, who slapped a shot in from 10 yards out.

"(This weekend) was a turning point for us," Stewart said. "I think we turned a positive corner in that we are starting to really understand how we are going to play together and keep working on our game plan."

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