No. 2 UNC field hockey blasts past No. 6 Duke, 5-2, to conclude regular season

DURHAM — In its regular season finale, No. 2 North Carolina field hockey (15-0, 8-0) dominated No. 6 Duke (11-5, 6-2), 5-2, on Friday night at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. 

Despite Duke's two goal effort and pressure on the UNC backline, North Carolina's three-goal first quarter created a hole too large to crawl out of for the Blue Devils. With Friday's victory, the Tar Heels clinched the ACC regular season conference title and will receive the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. 

"I think we were just not as smart on the ball, not as confident on the ball, and then we were playing more defense because of it," head coach Erin Matson said. "But in those big defensive moments, the girls stepped up. They held their ground, and they executed exactly all of the things we've trained in the past." 

Within a minute, UNC fought its way onto the board. Off junior forward Ryleigh Heck's pass to break into the circle, sophomore forward Sanne Hak brought the ball down the right side of the Duke baseline, flicking it up into the top corner of the goal. 

In the 10th minute, Heck broke into the circle again and fired off a no-look, behind-the-back shot, only to be kicked away by Duke goalkeeper Frederique Wollaert. Graduate midfielder Avery Donahue rebounded, quickly finding the back of the cage to push UNC ahead 2-0.  It was a "crucial" goal, according to Heck.

"I was just happy to be there when the rebound came," Donahue said. "Then I just thought, 'I'm putting this in the back of the net.'"

Two minutes later, the Blue Devils stormed down the field, stripping the ball from junior midfielder Sietske Brüning in UNC territory. Dodging defenders, Duke's Charlie van Oirschot found Josephine Palde inside the circle to sling a shot into the cage's backboards.

Heck, a minute later, responded right away. The UNC junior dribbled into Duke's territory, beat her defenders and drew out Wollaert from her post. From the middle of the circle, she hurled a shot into the right corner of the cage to increase North Carolina's lead to 3-1 before the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, UNC's offensive onslaught slowed. Several defensive lapses allowed the Blue Devils to pressure North Carolina's hold on the lead.

The backline was beaten to the ball for fast-break chances up the field and allowed a penalty corner opportunity in the 26th minute, but it wasn't enough to find the back of the cage before halftime. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Taylor's three saves maintained UNC's two-goal advantage. 

Entering the second half, Duke continued to knock on the door, securing more breakaway sprints into Tar Heel territory and drawing back-to-back penalty corners in the 39th minute. Despite the Blue Devils dominating possession, the North Carolina defense remained stalwart.  

In the fourth quarter, following a scoring drought since the 13th minute, UNC earned a penalty corner in the 55th minute. Off the insert, sophomore forward Charly Bruder took a huge swing to notch North Carolina's fourth goal of the evening.  

After a yellow card on Kelly Smith outside the circle, Duke secured its own penalty corner in the 56th minute. Alaina McVeigh's rocket shot from the left side whisked past the backline and into the back of the cage to decrease the deficit to 4-2. 

However, the Tar Heels quickly responded a minute later with an empty net goal by fifth-year midfielder Katie Dixon to solidify the win, 5-2. 

This concludes the 2024 regular season. UNC will await its schedule for the ACC Tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday in Winston-Salem.

@carolinewills03

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