Following a three-goal first half performance, top-seeded North Carolina field hockey team shut the door on fifth seed Wake Forest with a 4-0 win in the semi-final of the ACC tournament.
Rachel Magerman scored the lone second-half goal for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina out-shot the Demon Deacons 15-8.
UNC dominated Wake Forest in nearly every aspect of the game. The Tar Heels only allowed the Demon Deacons three first half shots.
Sophomore forward Loren Shealy ignited UNC’s offense in the second minute of the game as she redirected a cross from Jaclyn Gaudioso Radvany into the right corner of the goal.
UNC leading scorer Charlotte Craddock added a goal of her own in seven minutes later, scoring off a penalty corner.
The Tar Heels took advantage of wide open lanes on the outside to push the ball up the field. Senior Kelsey Kolojejchick repeatedly brought the ball up the side and then drove into the circle. Though Kolojejchick didn’t score a goal, she set senior Katie Plyler’s shot up in the first half.
As the offense was attacking in Wake Forest’s circle, Kolojejchick sent the ball in from the right baseline to a waiting Plyler in front of the goal. Plyler received the pass and sent the ball into the close corner of the goal.
Though UNC’s dynamic offense put goals on the board, it was the Tar Heel defense that really kept Wake Forest from being competitive. In addition to limiting Wake Forest to only eight shots, UNC also didn’t give up a penalty corner until the second half.
Going into the game, coach Karen Shelton stressed the importance of playing better and more efficient defense in the circle. She said that UNC needed to move their feet more and play better one-on-one defense. The extra emphasis on the defense was pretty evident. The absence of a first half penalty corner proves that the Tar Heels were not only preventing Wake Forest from entering the circle, but when there was penetration, UNC played clean defense.
UNC will take on the winner of the Maryland/Virginia game in the ACC Championship at Henry Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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