The No. 2 North Carolina field hockey team defeated No. 10 Princeton, 1-0, on Friday, remaining undefeated for the season.
What happened?
To begin the game, both teams found a strong tempo, and the contest stayed tight throughout the first half. In the opening frame alone the Tar Heels had five shots, but were unable to score. First-year Erin Matson took three of her team's five shots. Since neither squad was unable to find the net, the score board remained blank.
Just like the first half, the second frame started slowly. In the second half alone, the Tar Heels had five shots, just like in the opening 35 minutes. In their previous two games, the Tar Heels took 43 shots overall. The game remained tied going into the 64th minute.
With 5:11 left in the match, junior forward Megan DuVernois scored the only goal of the match. The shot tipped over the Princeton goal keeper’s shoulder and gave her team a 1-0 lead and the eventual victory.
Who stood out?
In a scoreless game, which seemed to come down to the final minutes, DuVernois scored the game-winner. The contest looked like it was about to head to overtime, but with 5:11 minutes left she scored and led her team to the win. The goal was her second of the season. Both DuVernois and teammate Matson have scored two goals this season and are tied for second amongst the team leaderboard, behind senior Ashley Hoffman, who has scored three times.
When was it decided?
After a scoreless first half and a slow beginning to the second half, the game was not decided until the last minutes of the match when DuVernois scored the only goal and secured the victory for her team, 1-0.
