Charlotte Craddock comes through again for UNC

Senior Charlotte Craddock has always been a special talent.

From being the youngest player selected to compete for England’s field hockey team the 2008 Beijing Olympics to being named an All-American in both her sophomore and junior seasons at North Carolina, Craddock has proven herself to be a star at the highest levels of the game.

In the midst of her already incredible career, many would argue that Craddock’s senior campaign, already characterized by five game-winning goals in nine games for the Tar Heels (8-1, 3-1 ACC), has been her finest, despite a lingering back injury.

This weekend was no exception, as Craddock netted two of those five game-winners against two top-10 teams.

Craddock and the top-ranked Tar Heels entered their weekend in Newton, Mass., looking to validate their ranking against No. 6 Boston College (7-2, 1-1 ACC) and No. 2 Connecticut (6-3, 0-0 ACC), the team that eliminated them in a penalty shootout in the 2013 NCAA semifinals.

Coach Karen Shelton said she was pleased with the opportunity to play a Friday early evening game followed by a Sunday afternoon contest.

“We love this format, as it is exactly like a Final Four weekend,” she said. “We try and replicate these experiences as we would as if it were an NCAA event.”

Not only did the team excel on the field during the road trip but also used it as a valuable learning experience to prepare themselves for success in the tournament.

UNC faced adversity early in its Friday contest versus BC, as the team conceded on a penalty corner in the 18th minute of play but answered 10 minutes later thanks to senior Loren Shealy’s goal. The Tar Heels again were beaten by a BC corner in the 42nd minute, but freshman Gab Major answered six minutes later with a beautiful reverse chip goal.

With neither team able to break the tie, the game headed to overtime. In the extra period, the team looked to its leader, Craddock, to answer.

And answer she did.

Craddock scored on a mid-circle goal — already her fourth game-winner of the campaign.

Normally, beating a top-10 team on a game-winning goal from the team’s senior leader calls for celebration, but UNC had no time to do so as the nation’s No. 2 team awaited.

The rematch against UConn has long been on the mind of forward Casey Di Nardo, who referenced the 2013 semifinal as motivation.

“It’s hard to lose, and it was huge for us to have the opportunity to play them again, but you have to prepare for them like anyone else,” Di Nardo said.

The Tar Heels’ second No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup this season — the first coming Sept. 5 when then No. 2 UNC defeated top-ranked Maryland — was everything a battle between two top-ranked opponents should be.

UNC asserted itself early as experience combined with youth when Shealy fed redshirt freshman Sam Night for her first goal in a Carolina uniform. As expected from the defending national champions, UConn answered quickly with a goal by Sophie Bowden on a deflection.

After almost 30 minutes of scoreless play, a familiar hero put on her cape again for the Tar Heels as Craddock sent a shot past the UConn keeper to give her team a 2-1 advantage with 11 minutes to play.

Much credit goes to the UNC defense, which was able to withstand a fierce UConn attack over the game’s final minutes to preserve the victory.

As for Craddock, she’s happy to deflect the attention.

“A non-verbal leader who shuns the spotlight,” Shelton said.

“She just wants to go out there and play.”

Her teammates were also full of praise for the senior.

“She makes everyone better and keeps everyone on-point, on the same page and focused,” senior Abby Frey said.

But as full as Craddock’s trophy case is, there is one piece of hardware that she is missing: a national championship. And perhaps her leadership and timely scoring can be the key elements that propel the Tar Heels this season in pursuit of their ultimate goal.

sports@dailytarheel.com