UNC field hockey surges in the fourth quarter against Old Dominion

The UNC field hockey team found itself in an unfamiliar rut for the first time all season. 

Plagued by slow pace and hesitancy, the Tar Heels entered halftime against Old Dominion tied 1-1. With the game on the line, head coach Erin Matson asked her top-ranked team a simple question: 

“Are we expecting to win this game?” 

The answer was no. A win is never guaranteed. It's earned.

After a similar slow third quarter, the Tar Heels broke open the floodgates in the fourth period following the halftime talk. Thanks to a high-flying goal from junior forward Ryleigh Heck and another slap shot from sophomore forward Charly Bruder, North Carolina exploded in the fourth quarter to pull out a 3-1 win on Sunday afternoon.

But it was a long road to get there. 

UNC knew Old Dominion played an unconventional game of field hockey. And on Sunday, the Monarchs played slow, sat back and let North Carolina control the pace. Because there was no defensive press pushing the tempo, the Tar Heels slowed down, too. 

“From the start, we were like, ‘We want to play at our pace,’ but obviously that's different in the game," fifth-year back Katie Dixon said. “When you get in that environment, you have to adjust.” 

With the Monarchs relying on zone coverage instead of pressing UNC, the Tar Heels found it hard to live up to their typical offensive production. Still, their first goal came from an early penalty corner opportunity with Bruder finding the back of the cage. 

ODU answered with three minutes left in the second quarter.

After breaking up a pass near UNC’s goal, the Monarchs rushed down the field where senior goalkeeper Abigail Taylor was ready in the crease. Taylor stepped out to prevent a shot from Old Dominion's Emily Tammaro, but Tammaro connected with Tess Jedeloo on the far-post to put the ball in the open goal with ease.

The Tar Heels have only conceded five goals all season. 

“Our defense didn't really allow much, but I think they have high standards,” Matson said. “We didn't move the ball quite like ourselves today.”

Because of ODU's style of defense, Dixon said she was hesitant to pass the ball to her teammates because she could not trust that they were open. 

With the Monarchs holding them stagnant, the Tar Heels were silent at halftime, according to Heck. Then came Matson's halftime question. The head coach challenged her team to find its fire. 

In the fourth quarter, the fire came quickly.

A minute into the fourth quarter, Heck received the ball and dribbled it straight across the baseline, faking out her defender in the process. She flicked it up and in, straight over the goalie’s head. 

“We realized that we needed to pick up the energy just to show our standard,” Heck said. “Because we have, obviously, 15 minutes left.” 

And to live up to those standards, the scoring didn't stop there. Six minutes later, Bruder capitalized off another penalty corner to provide the insurance goal. 

For the first time all season, the Tar Heels had to make a decision. The game was about choices — choices to be on the front foot, choices to attack, choices to have a killer mindset. 

Even if it came in the last quarter, North Carolina made those choices.

“Everything has to be earned,” Matson said. “Everything is not given.”

@aplancaster_

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com