It’s a strange occasion when a 5-1 victory can be counted as something of a disappointment, but that is the position the No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team found itself in Saturday.
The team has been so dominant to start the season that conceding even one goal is a letdown. The lone score it allowed against No. 11 Syracuse was the first allowed by the team since Sept. 7 against Louisville.
It’s been nothing short of a spectacular run for UNC (10-0, 4-0 ACC), going undefeated in its first 11 games, and outscoring opponents by a margin of 42-4 in that time span. Six of those games were shutouts, four of which came in a row. Even still, the game against the Orange (6-4, 0-3 ACC) may have been the best defensive outing of the season, allowing just two shots on goal the entire contest.
“I think with defense it’s important just to stay engaged the whole time,” defender Ashley Hoffman said. “If you check out for two seconds, your girl gets in behind you … going forward, just being engaged the whole time, checking our shoulders, talking, all of that makes a wall on the defensive end.”
Head coach Karen Shelton emphasized players taking defensive responsibility. Because of the pressing style of play the Tar Heels execute, often times the first effort on defense comes from up top on the offensive line.
“It does start with the press upfront,” Shelton said. “Then the middies have to play defense, and then the defenders have to shut ‘em out.”
It has been on the defensive line that a new identity has emerged: The D-Squa.
“It’s squad without the D so the D is on the front end, and they have a little cheer and they go ‘D squa!’” Shelton said. “They got the little thing going, which I like because defenders don’t get much notoriety, so you gotta take pride in shutting out the other team and not giving up shots, and I want them to feel that.”
The other main point of emphasis for the team this past season has been on player and ball movement and passing into open shots.
