UNC field hockey prepares for title run

Coach Karen Shelton told the North Carolina field hockey team to treat the final stretch of the regular season, which featured three top-10 teams, like it was the NCAA tournament.

The Tar Heels rose to that challenge and captured three straight victories, then went on to win the ACC tournament.

No. 1 UNC (20-1, 5-0 ACC) will serve as one of four host teams in the 16-member NCAA tournament. Saturday, the Tar Heels will face the Ohio Bobcats (19-4) — a team they’ve never faced in the program’s 40-year history.

The first-round matchup is sure to be a defensive battle, as the Bobcats come into the game as the nation’s top defensive team, allowing only .71 goals per game. The Tar Heels boast the second-best average at .77 goals per game.

UNC comes into the match well-prepared to face the nation’s top competition, having played against six of the 16 tournament teams and earning an 8-1 record in those nine games.

Five of those six teams will play on the opposite side of the bracket from UNC, including Old Dominion, who gave the Tar Heels their only loss.

Shelton said the Bobcats present a unique challenge to the Tar Heels because of the physical nature of Midwestern play. Shelton said the game will come down to whether the Tar Heels’ finesse can overcome Ohio’s power.

North Carolina also knows it will have to create more goal-scoring opportunities if it plans to hoist the national championship trophy.

The presence of senior Katelyn Falgowski has been a welcome addition to the squad after she missed several games in October to play on the U.S. national team in its gold-medal campaign at the Pan-Am Games.

“Coach always says, ‘You’re only as good as your next performance,’ so I think every day you have to step out on that field and prove yourself,” Falgowski said.

Falgowski returned to the Tar Heels for their 3-2 win in the final game of the regular season against Old Dominion and was selected as MVP of the ACC tournament.

ACC Offensive Player of the Year Kelsey Kolojejchick, the team’s leading goal scorer, said she can become more aggressive on attack with Falgowski back on the field.

“Now that Falgo’s back, I’m playing up front more. I’m definitely going to take more responsibility in finishing for our team,” Kolojejchick said.

In net, freshman goalkeeper Sassi Ammer has benefited from a stingy defense in front of her with senior Meghan Dawson and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Caitlin Van Sickle providing plenty of support.

Though North Carolina goes into the tournament as a frontrunner for the national championship, the entire team remains level-headed thanks to Shelton.

Despite her team’s near-perfect record, Shelton refuses to pad the Tar Heels’ egos.

“I always tell the moms and dads, ‘You can kiss them and hug them, but don’t tell them they’re too good because you’ve got to keep that hunger,’” Shelton said. “Once you start thinking you’re good, that’s the kiss of death.”

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