UNC field hockey finished the preseason with a 4-1 win in an exhibition match against Duke on Saturday night at Jack Katz Stadium.
What happened?
Several turnovers by both teams kicked off the match, as both the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels took a few minutes to settle into the tempo of Saturday’s exhibition. Both teams failed to score until the tail end of the first quarter when fifth-year senior Erin Matson rocketed a pass from first-year forward and midfielder Ryleigh Heck into the back of the goal to put UNC up 1-0.
In the following period, chaos broke out as North Carolina went on a quick 3-0 run in the second quarter’s early minutes. It started with an unassisted goal by Matson, as the veteran dribbled the ball down the field before stopping on a dime to fire a shot past Duke’s goalie. Two more quick goals were facilitated by Matson as she tapped in a cross from junior midfielder and back Katie Dixon and later assisted Heck to open up UNC’s lead to four.
After dominating the second quarter, the Tar Heels had multiple uneventful fast breaks in the third quarter. While North Carolina’s defensive presence was evident — the Tar Heels were able to regain possession easily due to widespread 1-on-1 defensive skills amongst the roster — UNC couldn’t turn its defensive breaks into goals. Oftentimes, UNC turned the ball over at the end of a sequence due to a pass being too hard or too far in front of the intended recipient.
Ultimately, the score stayed stagnant in the third quarter, as the Blue Devils failed to capitalize on multiple penalty corners and UNC was unable to slow the ball down enough to convert on offensive opportunities.
As the clock ticked down in the final quarter, Duke finally answered with a goal from Mary Harkins on a penalty corner. Despite an overall more impressive offensive presence in the second half, Duke failed to recover from UNC’s early lead established in the second quarter.
Who stood out?
It comes as no surprise that Matson played a critical role in UNC’s 4-1 win over Duke in Saturday’s exhibition. She got things started with a goal off of Heck’s assist late in the first quarter and followed up with two goals early in the second quarter to complete the hat trick. Her pass to Heck just a few minutes later in the same quarter opened UNC’s lead up to four. Aside from her consistent offensive presence, Matson was a source of defensive pressure in the Tar Heel front field.
