Ahead of challenging field hockey season, North Carolina plans to keep same mentality

Some things never change.

This tale as old as time rings true for the 2024 UNC field hockey squad. Just like last season, and every year before that, the Tar Heels plan to take it one game at a time. New seasons bring new challenges, but North Carolina is ready.

For the fourth straight year, UNC will compete in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. However, unlike last year, North Carolina will not compete on its home turf. The Tar Heels will make the trek to Ann Arbor, Mich. for their opening game against Michigan, followed by a tough rematch against Iowa.

Despite having these difficult games early on, UNC is not phased. Head coach Erin Matson said the team possesses an ever-so-important attribute that will be crucial in every game.

“We’re on the right path, they’re looking good and the most important thing is that they’re motivated as hell,” Matson said after a preseason scrimmage against Duke. 

Following its appearance in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, North Carolina will play two additional games away from Karen Shelton Stadium. The Tar Heels will face Penn and Princeton in Louisville, Ky. as a part of the ACC-Ivy League Conference Crossover, which is an event that they have been playing in since 2022. 

These two matches will test UNC in the early non-conference schedule. The Tar Heels have, without fail, been preparing for the new season's challenges since the final shot in their 2-1 shootout victory in the 2023 national championship game against Northwestern. 

“I think we have been building on what we already built in the spring,” junior midfielder Sietske Brüning said after the Tar Heels’ scrimmage against Wake Forest. “We’ve been going over our principles, making sure we’re all on the same page, and I think that is the biggest thing we can work on during the preseason.”

On top of North Carolina’s early tests, the Tar Heels will play each of the three teams that they lost to in the 2023 season, facing Iowa, Liberty and Virginia. While UNC will make game-to-game specific adjustments, sticking to the team's basic principles and fundamentals has proven to be successful year after year. 

In addition to game-specific training, each individual player has focused on improving their skills in the offseason. North Carolina will need to rely on their veteran players to provide the results that the team demands.

Luckily for the Tar Heels, two of their primary goal-scoring weapons returned to the team in 2024. Junior forward Ryleigh Heck and sophomore forward Charly Bruder scored a combined 28 goals for North Carolina last season. Both forwards will likely continue to lead the offensive charge for UNC this season.

Heck, in addition to being a key player on the field throughout the year, knows how to react in crunch time. She had the deciding goals in the ACC Championship and the NCAA Championship games in 2023. For the second consecutive year, she was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team as a reward for her goal-scoring prowess.

The Tar Heels know that success on the field does not just come from practice shootouts, drills or watching film. The team has dedicated time to bonding on and off the turf, understanding that a connection off the field leads to success on it. 

“We’ve just been doing everything as a team, and trying to connect with each other," Heck said after the team's scrimmage against Wake Forest. "That comes from off the field, so really just trying to be the best with each other and moving forward with that."

While this season might bring a new roster and schedule, the Tar Heels have continued to live by the mantra instilled in them by their head coach.

Focused on the fundamentals, North Carolina is ready to tackle one game at a time.

@j_kidd03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com