Spearheaded by four goals by senior forward Erin Matson, the No. 1 UNC field hockey team (9-0) beat the No. 14 Liberty Flames (7-4), 6-3, in Lynchburg, Va.
What happened?
The Tar Heels got out to an early lead thanks to a penalty stroke goal from Matson in the opening five minutes of the game. Sophomore midfielder Lisa Slinkert quickly followed, scoring a goal just over two minutes later on an assist from first-year Ryleigh Heck to put UNC up 2-0.
Liberty clawed back a bit, as senior midfielder Lizzie Hamlett found the back of the goal off of an assist from senior defender Jodie Conolly to bring the Flames within one goal as the first quarter closed out.
UNC quickly put away the game after this point, and proceeded to score four unanswered goals over the course of the next three quarters to jump out to a 6-1 lead. Matson was responsible for three of the goals within this stretch, and senior forward Paityn Wirth added one as well.
Despite two late goals from Liberty in the fourth quarter, the Flames weren’t able to climb out of the five-goal hole created by Matson's explosive offensive performance and UNC's speedy transition ability. Liberty eventually dropped the game 6-3.
Who stood out?
Matson was a clear standout for the Tar Heels, leading the team with four goals on the game. This marks the twelfth time in Matson’s career and first time this season that she has had a three or more goals in a game. Furthermore, the veteran was essential in UNC’s mid-game swing and four-goal run, as she scored three of the goals and assisted on the other goal during the stretch.
Sophomore back Kelly Smith is an unsung hero of Sunday’s game, as she made a huge defensive save with just over 11 minutes to go in the third quarter to keep UNC’s streak alive. Her and senior midfielder Meredith Sholder were critical to the defensive pressure that the Tar Heels applied to the Flames throughout the matchup.
