North Carolina
Va Commonwealth
Tar Heel Field Hockey Improves To 3-0
September 2, 2001 | Field Hockey
Sept. 2, 2001
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--The top-ranked University of North Carolina field hockey team improved to 3-0 on the season Sunday afternoon with a 13-0 win against visiting Virginia Commonwealth at Francis E. Henry Stadium. The scoring barrage established a new team record for goals in a game and included goals by nine different players, three of whom had never scored in intercollegiate action.
"We didn't intend to reach a record, we just wanted to play well," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I thought our kids played well and passed the ball well. I was proud of our effort in both games this weekend."
The Tar Heels defeated No. 9 Penn State 3-1 on Saturday. Next up is a trip to the Temple Invitational in Philadelphia, where UNC will face fourth-ranked Michigan on Saturday and either Temple or Maine on Sunday.
Senior Abby Martin opened the scoring against VCU on a penalty stroke just over three minutes into the game. She scored again to start the second half, this time on a penalty corner, and now has a team-leading five goals on the season. Martin also had two assists for a total of six points against the Rams. Classmate Abbey Woolley also accounted for two goals and a pair of assists on Sunday and leads the team in total assists with four.
Other two-goal scorers against VCU were Amber Chambers, a redshirt freshman, and Kelsey Keeran, a true freshman. Seniors Carrie Lingo and Katie McDonald, junior Meredith Keller, and freshmen Kerry Falgowski and Charlotte Plugge also scored. The goals were career firsts for Chambers, Falgowski and Plugge.
"I was especially pleased for the redshirt freshmen who got to play a lot today," Shelton said. "They've been on the team for more than a year now and it's great for them to have the opportunity to exhibit their skills in competition. Amber Chambers has worked very hard and I was happy to see her play so well."
The Tar Heels played nine true and redshirt freshmen, with as many as eight on the field at once. Goalkeeper Alexis Suarez, who redshirted last season, replaced starter Amy Tran 10 minutes into the game to make her first collegiate appearance.
"A lot of people got to play and score goals today," Shelton said. "Hopefully that's something we can build on."
Scoring:
First half-Abby Martin, 32:50, Abbey Woolley, 28.22, Carrie Lingo, 23:12, Kelsey Keeran, 18:56, Meredith Keller, 16:58
Second half-Martin (Woolley, Keller), 33:42, Kerry Falgowski (Martin), 32:23, Katie McDonald (Woolley), 28:46, Amber Chambers (Charlotte Plugge), 21:06, Plugge (Martin), 19:16, Woolley (Katy Potter), 3:36, Keeran, 2:06, Chambers, 0:38
Shots on goal: VCU-0, UNC-35
Goalkeeper saves: VCU (Abby Stiles) 6, UNC (Amy Tran, Alexis Suarez) 0
Defensive saves: VCU 1, UNC 0
Penalty corners: VCU 0, UNC 11
Penalty strokes: VCU 0, UNC 2
