University of North Carolina Athletics

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina To Face Princeton For NCAA Championship
November 23, 2019 | Field Hockey
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The UNC field hockey team will play Sunday for the eighth championship in program history, taking on No. 9 Princeton (16-4) at Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 1 p.m. The Tar Heels are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and are playing for their second consecutive title.
Carolina finished 23-0 last season and is currently 22-0, for a 45-game winning streak that's the longest ever by an Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey team.
Playing in their 11th final four in a row and 24th in school history, the Tar Heels beat No. 7 Boston College 6-3 Friday to reach the title game for the 19th time in school history.
It's the third time UNC and Princeton have met for an NCAA Championship. Carolina won in the title game in 2006 and the Tigers won in 2012.
Quick Hits
• UNC is appearing in its 19th championship game. The Tar Heels have won seven titles, most recently in 2018, and finished as runner-up on 11 occasions.
• The Tar Heels had a season-high seven assists on Friday against BC, with all six goals assisted. Three players – Megan DuVernois, Feline Guenther and Catherine Hayden – had two each. (Hayden had one all year prior to Friday.)
• UNC seven assists set a record for the most ever by one team in an NCAA semifinal game.
• UNC's total of seven NCAA titles ranks third all-time behind nine by ODU (all under Beth Anders) and eight by Maryland (seven under Missy Meharg). Karen Shelton has been the head coach for all of UNC's titles and is tied for second in championships won.
• UNC has won two of its NCAA titles at Kentner Stadium, in 1995 and 2009. Wake also hosted in 2004 (the Demon Deacons won on their home field, UNC fell in the 2nd round that year) and 2006 (Maryland won, UNC lost in the first round).
• UNC beat host Boston College 3-1 on Nov. 10 to claim the Tar Heels' third consecutive ACC title, fourth in five years and 22nd in program history.
• Senior Marissa Creatore was named ACC Tournament MVP after scoring two goals in the championship game. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by senior Yentl Leemans, sophomore Erin Matson and freshman Madison Orobono.
• Erin Matson's current season total of 77 points (31 goals, 15 assists) ranks second on UNC's all-time single season list. With 31 goals, she's tied for second on Carolina's single-season list in that category as well.
• UNC has scored on its first penalty corner in five of its past six games (vs. Saint Joseph's, BC in the ACC Championship, Stanford in the NCAA first round, Iowa in the NCAA second round, BC on Friday).
• For the second year in a row, Tar Heels swept the ACC's player of the year honors, with Leemans named Defensive Player of the Year and Matson named Offensive Player of the Year. It marked the fourth year in a row a UNC player has won the defensive honor and the second year in a row Matson has won the offensive award.
• UNC has eight seniors on the roster: Marissa Creatore, Megan DuVernois, Feline Guenther, Alex Halpin, Catherine Hayden, Yentl Leemans, Ellen Payne and Ali Rushton. All were in the starting lineup for Senior Day (vs. Saint Joseph's), although Rushton, who is rehabbing an ACL tear, played for only a minute before subbing out. Seniors accounted for all of the team's goals and assists in the 3-2 win, with Guenther scoring her first two goals of the fall, including the gamewinner in double OT.
• With the win over Boston College on Oct. 25, the Tar Heels completed back-to-back undefeated ACC seasons for the first time since the league expanded to seven teams in 2013.
• Both of UNC's primary goalkeepers, junior Amanda Hendry and senior Alex Halpin, earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall. Hendry is the regular starter and has won the honor twice, and Halpin earned it on Oct. 29 after starting in Hendry's place for the BC and ODU games.
• Sophomore Erin Matson was named national and ACC offensive player of the week in back-to-back weeks to open the season. She's the first player ever to win both ACC and national honors in consecutive weeks. She also won both honors in the first week of October. She has won the ACC honor five times this fall and has won the national honor three times.
• The 2019 season was UNC's second in Karen Shelton Stadium. The stadium was dedicated on Oct. 6, 2018 and is the first Carolina athletic playing facility to be named in honor of a woman. Through two seasons of playing there, the Tar Heels are 23-0 at home.
Team Statistical Leaders
Goals: Erin Matson 31, Marissa Creatore 15, Catherine Hayden 13, Megan DuVernois 6, Riley Fulmer 6
Assists: Matson 15, Yentl Leemans 14, Creatore 6, Abby Pitcairn 5
Points: Matson 77, Creatore 36, Hayden 29, Leemans 24
UNC in the NCAA Tournament
• UNC is making a record 36th appearance in the NCAA Tournament field.
• Sunday's championship is UNC's 98th game in NCAA Tournament play, also a record.
• UNC is the top seed in the field for the second year in a row.
• The Tar Heels have 69 NCAA Tournament wins, more than any other school. Maryland is second with 64 (including the Terrapins' first-round win this year) and Old Dominion is third with 50.
• North Carolina is 69-28 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
• This year's UNC team is the 12th squad to enter the NCAA Tournament field without a loss or a tie. Seven of the previous 11 (including three Carolina teams: 1995, 2007 and 2018) went on to win national championships.
• UNC hosted NCAA Tournament first and second-round games for the 21st time in program history. The Tar Heels are now 30-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in Chapel Hill.
• UNC is now 19-5 all-time in semifinals games.
• UNC is 6-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament overtime games
• UNC won the title the last time the final four was held in Winston-Salem, in 2009. Carolina defeated previously-unbeaten Maryland 3-2 in the final.
UNC in the NCAA Final
• UNC is making a record 18th appearance in the title game.
• The Tar Heels are 7-11 in championship games. They won in 2018 after having lost in the past five title games they had reached.
• UNC won three championships in a row from 1995-97 and otherwise has never won titles in back-to-back years.
• UNC volunteer assistant coach Jackie (Kintzer) Briggs was the starting goalkeeper for the last Tar Heel team to win an NCAA title in Winston-Salem. In 2009, Carolina handed Maryland its only loss of the season, scoring on a penalty corner with 11.7 seconds remaining to win 3-2.
UNC vs. Princeton
• Sunday's game is the 15th meeting between the two teams, the sixth in NCAA play, the third in an NCAA championship game and the second this season.
• The Tar Heels are 11-3 all-time against Princeton, including a win earlier this season. On Sept. 6 in Chapel Hill, UNC scored three goals in the final 5:01 to win 4-3. The gamewinner came with 24 seconds on the clock.
• In NCAA play, UNC leads the series 4-1.
• The teams are tied in championship games, with UNC winning in 1996 (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) and Princeton in 2012 (Norfolk, Va.).
Series history
2019: UNC 4, Princeton 3 in Chapel Hill (Sept. 6)
2018: UNC 1, Princeton 0 in Philadelphia (Aug. 31)
2017: UNC 3, Princeton 2 in Charlottesville, Va. (Nov. 12, NCAA 2nd round)
2017: UNC 2, Princeton 0 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 1)
2016: UNC 2, Princeton 1 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 2)
2015: UNC 5, Princeton 2 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 4)
2012: Princeton 3, UNC 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Nov. 18, NCAA championship game)
2002: Princeton 4, UNC 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Nov. 3)
2000: UNC 3, Princeton 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 7)
1998: Princeton 4, UNC 3 OT in Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 31)
1997: UNC 4, Princeton 3 in Storrs, Conn. (Nov. 21, NCAA semifinals)
1996: UNC 3, Princeton 0 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (Nov. 24, NCAA championship game)
1995: UNC 6, Princeton 0 in Chapel Hill (Nov. 12, NCAA 2nd round)
1992: UNC 3, Princeton 1 in Philadelphia (Sept. 13)
This year's first meeting
Sept. 6 in Chapel Hill: No. 1 UNC 4, No 5 Princeton 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team protected its home turf in thrilling fashion, scoring three times in the final 5:01 of play to beat fifth-ranked Princeton 4-3 at Karen Shelton Stadium. Senior Marissa Creatore, who grew up in Chapel Hill and came to UNC field hockey games a decade before she'd go on to play for the Tar Heels, scored the gamewinner on a cross from sophomore Erin Matson with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.
UNC improved to 3-0 on the season with its third come-from-behind win. Princeton fell to 0-1.
"I do want to credit Princeton," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "What a heck of a game they played and they pushed us to the limit. I'm proud of our team for sticking together and finding a way there at the end."
The Tigers kept Carolina on its heels through much of the game. Princeton went up 1-0 in the seventh minute of play on a penalty corner, with freshman Sammy Popper scoring off the rebound after UNC keeper Amanda Hendry saved the first Tiger shot. Princeton added another goal in the 22nd minute, with senior Taylor Nolan putting her team up 2-0.
UNC answered 26 seconds later, when freshman Karlijn Goes scored for the first time in a Tar Heel uniform, assisted by Erin Matson. Coming from the right side of the circle, Matson tapped the ball through a defender to Goes, who shot from mid-circle for the score.
Four minutes before halftime Popper scored again, this time on a penalty corner, to put Princeton back up by two at the break, 3-1.
The score stayed there through the third quarter and into the fourth. Playing without a keeper after UNC coach Karen Shelton pulled Hendry with a little more than 10 minutes to play in an effort to gain an offensive advantage, the Tar Heels came up with a late flurry to win the game. With just over five minutes to play, redshirt freshman Romea Riccardo sent a ball toward Matson at the top of the circle. Matson carried it into the circle toward the baseline then sent a shot from the left side into the right corner of the cage to pull UNC within one, 3-2.
Just over a minute later, Matson got off a shot that was kept from going into the goal by a defender's body. The umpires awarded Carolina a penalty stroke, and senior Megan DuVernois, who scored the gamewinner in last year's 1-0 win over Princeton, calmly stepped up and made the shot to tie the score at 3-3 with 3:50 to play.
Hendry went back in and the game appeared headed for overtime until Creatore and Matson combined to give UNC its first lead of the game and the only one the Tar Heels would need. From the left baseline, Matson dribbled around a defender and sent a ball toward the cage, where Creatore got her stick on it to deflect it in for the win.
"I told our team at the half, 'let's get two goals and play for overtime,'" Shelton said. "And darned if they didn't get the three goals to win it in regulation. I'm really proud of our kids."
On a Roll
• UNC has won an ACC-record 45 consecutive games (22 this year, 23 last year), dating back to a loss to Connecticut in a penalty shootout in the 2017 NCAA semifinals.
• Thirteen players on the roster (seven freshmen, two redshirt freshmen, four sophomores who did not take a redshirt year) have never been a part of a loss at UNC.
• UNC set the ACC record for consecutive victories on Oct. 18 at Kentner Stadium. UNC's 3-1 win over Wake Forest that day was the Tar Heels' 36th in a row.
• The previous mark was 35 in a row by Maryland during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Coincidentally, that streak ended on the same field where UNC set the record: After 35 wins in a row, the Terrapins fell to UNC in the 2009 NCAA Championship game, hosted by Wake Forest.
• The previous school record for consecutive wins was 29, including the undefeated 1995 season (24-0, with an NCAA title won in Winston-Salem) and the first five games of 1996, when the Tar Heels lost their sixth game (vs. ODU) but went on to win another NCAA title.
• The NCAA record for consecutive wins is 66 (ODU, 1990-93).
Matson climbing the stats charts
With 77 points this season, sophomore forward Erin Matson ranks second on UNC's single-season chart behind Cindy Werley, who had 87 points in 1997 as she led the Tar Heels to a third title in a row.
• Matson's total of 31 goals also ranks second to Werley, who had 36 in 1997.
• Through two seasons, Matson has 136 points, a total that ranks eighth on UNC's career point chart. She's three points from moving into a tie for seventh.
• Through two seasons, Matson has 51 goals, almost enough to put her on the UNC career list. Tenth place on that list is 54 goals.
Carolina finished 23-0 last season and is currently 22-0, for a 45-game winning streak that's the longest ever by an Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey team.
Playing in their 11th final four in a row and 24th in school history, the Tar Heels beat No. 7 Boston College 6-3 Friday to reach the title game for the 19th time in school history.
It's the third time UNC and Princeton have met for an NCAA Championship. Carolina won in the title game in 2006 and the Tigers won in 2012.
Quick Hits
• UNC is appearing in its 19th championship game. The Tar Heels have won seven titles, most recently in 2018, and finished as runner-up on 11 occasions.
• The Tar Heels had a season-high seven assists on Friday against BC, with all six goals assisted. Three players – Megan DuVernois, Feline Guenther and Catherine Hayden – had two each. (Hayden had one all year prior to Friday.)
• UNC seven assists set a record for the most ever by one team in an NCAA semifinal game.
• UNC's total of seven NCAA titles ranks third all-time behind nine by ODU (all under Beth Anders) and eight by Maryland (seven under Missy Meharg). Karen Shelton has been the head coach for all of UNC's titles and is tied for second in championships won.
• UNC has won two of its NCAA titles at Kentner Stadium, in 1995 and 2009. Wake also hosted in 2004 (the Demon Deacons won on their home field, UNC fell in the 2nd round that year) and 2006 (Maryland won, UNC lost in the first round).
• UNC beat host Boston College 3-1 on Nov. 10 to claim the Tar Heels' third consecutive ACC title, fourth in five years and 22nd in program history.
• Senior Marissa Creatore was named ACC Tournament MVP after scoring two goals in the championship game. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by senior Yentl Leemans, sophomore Erin Matson and freshman Madison Orobono.
• Erin Matson's current season total of 77 points (31 goals, 15 assists) ranks second on UNC's all-time single season list. With 31 goals, she's tied for second on Carolina's single-season list in that category as well.
• UNC has scored on its first penalty corner in five of its past six games (vs. Saint Joseph's, BC in the ACC Championship, Stanford in the NCAA first round, Iowa in the NCAA second round, BC on Friday).
• For the second year in a row, Tar Heels swept the ACC's player of the year honors, with Leemans named Defensive Player of the Year and Matson named Offensive Player of the Year. It marked the fourth year in a row a UNC player has won the defensive honor and the second year in a row Matson has won the offensive award.
• UNC has eight seniors on the roster: Marissa Creatore, Megan DuVernois, Feline Guenther, Alex Halpin, Catherine Hayden, Yentl Leemans, Ellen Payne and Ali Rushton. All were in the starting lineup for Senior Day (vs. Saint Joseph's), although Rushton, who is rehabbing an ACL tear, played for only a minute before subbing out. Seniors accounted for all of the team's goals and assists in the 3-2 win, with Guenther scoring her first two goals of the fall, including the gamewinner in double OT.
• With the win over Boston College on Oct. 25, the Tar Heels completed back-to-back undefeated ACC seasons for the first time since the league expanded to seven teams in 2013.
• Both of UNC's primary goalkeepers, junior Amanda Hendry and senior Alex Halpin, earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall. Hendry is the regular starter and has won the honor twice, and Halpin earned it on Oct. 29 after starting in Hendry's place for the BC and ODU games.
• Sophomore Erin Matson was named national and ACC offensive player of the week in back-to-back weeks to open the season. She's the first player ever to win both ACC and national honors in consecutive weeks. She also won both honors in the first week of October. She has won the ACC honor five times this fall and has won the national honor three times.
• The 2019 season was UNC's second in Karen Shelton Stadium. The stadium was dedicated on Oct. 6, 2018 and is the first Carolina athletic playing facility to be named in honor of a woman. Through two seasons of playing there, the Tar Heels are 23-0 at home.
Team Statistical Leaders
Goals: Erin Matson 31, Marissa Creatore 15, Catherine Hayden 13, Megan DuVernois 6, Riley Fulmer 6
Assists: Matson 15, Yentl Leemans 14, Creatore 6, Abby Pitcairn 5
Points: Matson 77, Creatore 36, Hayden 29, Leemans 24
UNC in the NCAA Tournament
• UNC is making a record 36th appearance in the NCAA Tournament field.
• Sunday's championship is UNC's 98th game in NCAA Tournament play, also a record.
• UNC is the top seed in the field for the second year in a row.
• The Tar Heels have 69 NCAA Tournament wins, more than any other school. Maryland is second with 64 (including the Terrapins' first-round win this year) and Old Dominion is third with 50.
• North Carolina is 69-28 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
• This year's UNC team is the 12th squad to enter the NCAA Tournament field without a loss or a tie. Seven of the previous 11 (including three Carolina teams: 1995, 2007 and 2018) went on to win national championships.
• UNC hosted NCAA Tournament first and second-round games for the 21st time in program history. The Tar Heels are now 30-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in Chapel Hill.
• UNC is now 19-5 all-time in semifinals games.
• UNC is 6-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament overtime games
• UNC won the title the last time the final four was held in Winston-Salem, in 2009. Carolina defeated previously-unbeaten Maryland 3-2 in the final.
UNC in the NCAA Final
• UNC is making a record 18th appearance in the title game.
• The Tar Heels are 7-11 in championship games. They won in 2018 after having lost in the past five title games they had reached.
• UNC won three championships in a row from 1995-97 and otherwise has never won titles in back-to-back years.
• UNC volunteer assistant coach Jackie (Kintzer) Briggs was the starting goalkeeper for the last Tar Heel team to win an NCAA title in Winston-Salem. In 2009, Carolina handed Maryland its only loss of the season, scoring on a penalty corner with 11.7 seconds remaining to win 3-2.
UNC vs. Princeton
• Sunday's game is the 15th meeting between the two teams, the sixth in NCAA play, the third in an NCAA championship game and the second this season.
• The Tar Heels are 11-3 all-time against Princeton, including a win earlier this season. On Sept. 6 in Chapel Hill, UNC scored three goals in the final 5:01 to win 4-3. The gamewinner came with 24 seconds on the clock.
• In NCAA play, UNC leads the series 4-1.
• The teams are tied in championship games, with UNC winning in 1996 (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) and Princeton in 2012 (Norfolk, Va.).
Series history
2019: UNC 4, Princeton 3 in Chapel Hill (Sept. 6)
2018: UNC 1, Princeton 0 in Philadelphia (Aug. 31)
2017: UNC 3, Princeton 2 in Charlottesville, Va. (Nov. 12, NCAA 2nd round)
2017: UNC 2, Princeton 0 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 1)
2016: UNC 2, Princeton 1 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 2)
2015: UNC 5, Princeton 2 in Princeton, N.J. (Sept. 4)
2012: Princeton 3, UNC 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Nov. 18, NCAA championship game)
2002: Princeton 4, UNC 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Nov. 3)
2000: UNC 3, Princeton 2 in Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 7)
1998: Princeton 4, UNC 3 OT in Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 31)
1997: UNC 4, Princeton 3 in Storrs, Conn. (Nov. 21, NCAA semifinals)
1996: UNC 3, Princeton 0 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (Nov. 24, NCAA championship game)
1995: UNC 6, Princeton 0 in Chapel Hill (Nov. 12, NCAA 2nd round)
1992: UNC 3, Princeton 1 in Philadelphia (Sept. 13)
This year's first meeting
Sept. 6 in Chapel Hill: No. 1 UNC 4, No 5 Princeton 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team protected its home turf in thrilling fashion, scoring three times in the final 5:01 of play to beat fifth-ranked Princeton 4-3 at Karen Shelton Stadium. Senior Marissa Creatore, who grew up in Chapel Hill and came to UNC field hockey games a decade before she'd go on to play for the Tar Heels, scored the gamewinner on a cross from sophomore Erin Matson with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.
UNC improved to 3-0 on the season with its third come-from-behind win. Princeton fell to 0-1.
"I do want to credit Princeton," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "What a heck of a game they played and they pushed us to the limit. I'm proud of our team for sticking together and finding a way there at the end."
The Tigers kept Carolina on its heels through much of the game. Princeton went up 1-0 in the seventh minute of play on a penalty corner, with freshman Sammy Popper scoring off the rebound after UNC keeper Amanda Hendry saved the first Tiger shot. Princeton added another goal in the 22nd minute, with senior Taylor Nolan putting her team up 2-0.
UNC answered 26 seconds later, when freshman Karlijn Goes scored for the first time in a Tar Heel uniform, assisted by Erin Matson. Coming from the right side of the circle, Matson tapped the ball through a defender to Goes, who shot from mid-circle for the score.
Four minutes before halftime Popper scored again, this time on a penalty corner, to put Princeton back up by two at the break, 3-1.
The score stayed there through the third quarter and into the fourth. Playing without a keeper after UNC coach Karen Shelton pulled Hendry with a little more than 10 minutes to play in an effort to gain an offensive advantage, the Tar Heels came up with a late flurry to win the game. With just over five minutes to play, redshirt freshman Romea Riccardo sent a ball toward Matson at the top of the circle. Matson carried it into the circle toward the baseline then sent a shot from the left side into the right corner of the cage to pull UNC within one, 3-2.
Just over a minute later, Matson got off a shot that was kept from going into the goal by a defender's body. The umpires awarded Carolina a penalty stroke, and senior Megan DuVernois, who scored the gamewinner in last year's 1-0 win over Princeton, calmly stepped up and made the shot to tie the score at 3-3 with 3:50 to play.
Hendry went back in and the game appeared headed for overtime until Creatore and Matson combined to give UNC its first lead of the game and the only one the Tar Heels would need. From the left baseline, Matson dribbled around a defender and sent a ball toward the cage, where Creatore got her stick on it to deflect it in for the win.
"I told our team at the half, 'let's get two goals and play for overtime,'" Shelton said. "And darned if they didn't get the three goals to win it in regulation. I'm really proud of our kids."
On a Roll
• UNC has won an ACC-record 45 consecutive games (22 this year, 23 last year), dating back to a loss to Connecticut in a penalty shootout in the 2017 NCAA semifinals.
• Thirteen players on the roster (seven freshmen, two redshirt freshmen, four sophomores who did not take a redshirt year) have never been a part of a loss at UNC.
• UNC set the ACC record for consecutive victories on Oct. 18 at Kentner Stadium. UNC's 3-1 win over Wake Forest that day was the Tar Heels' 36th in a row.
• The previous mark was 35 in a row by Maryland during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Coincidentally, that streak ended on the same field where UNC set the record: After 35 wins in a row, the Terrapins fell to UNC in the 2009 NCAA Championship game, hosted by Wake Forest.
• The previous school record for consecutive wins was 29, including the undefeated 1995 season (24-0, with an NCAA title won in Winston-Salem) and the first five games of 1996, when the Tar Heels lost their sixth game (vs. ODU) but went on to win another NCAA title.
• The NCAA record for consecutive wins is 66 (ODU, 1990-93).
Matson climbing the stats charts
With 77 points this season, sophomore forward Erin Matson ranks second on UNC's single-season chart behind Cindy Werley, who had 87 points in 1997 as she led the Tar Heels to a third title in a row.
• Matson's total of 31 goals also ranks second to Werley, who had 36 in 1997.
• Through two seasons, Matson has 136 points, a total that ranks eighth on UNC's career point chart. She's three points from moving into a tie for seventh.
• Through two seasons, Matson has 51 goals, almost enough to put her on the UNC career list. Tenth place on that list is 54 goals.
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