Seniors Lead The Way In 2OT Victory

Sunday, November 3

Chapel Hill

1:00 PM

North Carolina

(17-0)

Saint Joseph's

(15-3)

Saint Joseph's

North Carolina

UNC honored eight seniors before the start of Sunday's game, Carolina's final one of the regular season.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 3, 2019 | Field Hockey

Box Score Watch Highlights Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC's senior class led the way Sunday as the Tar Heels beat No. 13 Saint Joseph's 3-2 in double overtime at Karen Shelton Stadium to close out the field hockey regular season undefeated at 17-0. The eight Carolina seniors, honored on-field with their families before the game, dominated the starting lineup and then accounted for all of the scoring in the win, the team's first overtime contest of the year.

Senior midfielder Feline Guenther, who hadn't scored a goal all season, got two on Sunday, including the gamewinner on an assist from senior forward Marissa Creatore 38 seconds into the second overtime period. Senior forward Catherine Hayden had the team's first goal, on a pass from senior midfielder Yentl Leemans.

"I thought overtime was good for us," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "We want the regular season to prepare us for postseason. It was a little rocky, wasn't perfect, but we found a way at the end. I'm really proud of the seniors that led the way."

In addition to Creatore, Guenther, Hayden and Leemans, the team's seniors are midfielder Megan DuVernois, defenders Ellen Payne and Ali Rushton, and goalkeeper Alex Halpin. For Rushton, who is working her way back from a second ACL tear, the start was the first of her career.

"They've grown up in the program and know what it's all about," Shelton said of her seniors. "They set the standard for the younger players – they're the hardest workers, the most committed, the most mature, so we rely on them to teach the others, to lead not only vocally but to lead by example. It's incredibly important for us to continue this culture."

Next up for the Tar Heels is the ACC Tournament Nov. 7-10 at Boston College. As the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed, the Tar Heels earned a first-round bye and will open play in the ACC semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. against either Louisville or Syracuse.

Sunday on a bright, chilly afternoon at Shelton Stadium, a battle between the nation's top two offenses started with a decidedly defensive look. Neither team scored in the first quarter, when the Tar Heels got off three shots and SJU one. UNC got on the board in the second quarter, capitalizing on the team's only penalty corner in the first three quarters combined. In the 23^rd minute, Leemans split two defenders then sent a pass to the left post, where Hayden deflected it past the SJU keeper for a 1-0 lead the Tar Heels would carry past halftime.

Just over a minute into the third quarter, SJU keeper Victoria Kammerink saved a shot by Hayden, but Guenther jumped on the rebound, tipping the ball out of the air and into the cage to make the score 2-0 with her first goal of the season.

The Hawks answered in the 38^th minute when Tonya Botherway tapped a ball from Kathrin Bentz past UNC goalkeeper Amanda Hendry. They tied the score with six minutes to play in regulation on a penalty corner, with a goal by Kate Blincoe. The Tar Heels pushed for the go-ahead goal with five shots in the fourth quarter and a penalty corner in the closing seconds, but couldn't score and the game went into overtime.

It was UNC's first overtime game since August 26, 2018, when the Tar Heels beat Iowa 2-1 in their second-ever game at Shelton Stadium.

Saint Joseph's started overtime a player down because of a yellow card late in regulation, but Carolina wasn't able to capitalize and neither team scored in the 10-minute period, despite four shots by the Tar Heels and two by the Hawks.

The game went into a second seven-on-seven period, UNC's first double overtime contest since the 2017 NCAA semifinals, when the Tar Heels lost in a shootout. This time they celebrated, just 38 seconds after play began. "I heard Line calling for it on the other post and I didn't even have to look for her, I knew she'd be there with her stick down," Creatore said. "I sent it right across the goal and she finished just like I thought she would."

Already exhausted at the start of a second overtime, Guenther gave it all the effort she had. "When I saw Marissa running down the line I just tried to get in front of the girl and get a touch on the ball and really put my last energy into it," said Guenther, who is from Hamburg, Germany. "My mom and my dad are here from Germany, so that's probably the extra push that I had."

The win was the 40^th in a row for UNC, spanning all of last season (23-0) and this year's regular season. "Saint Joseph's is such a strong team and gave us absolutely everything we could handle today," Shelton said. "This game was a great challenge for us and a valuable experience moving forward."

UNC finished with 19 shots, and SJU had 12. The Hawks had the advantage on penalty corners, 5-4. Kammerinke finished with 10 saves while Hendry had four.

No. 1 UNC 3, No. 13 Saint Joseph's 2
Scoring: UNC – Catherine Hayden (Yentl Leemans), 22:19; UNC – Feline Guenther, 31:21; SJU – Tonya Botherway (Kathrin Bentz), 37:33; SJU – Kate Blincoe, 54:02; UNC – Feline Guenther (Marissa Creatore); 70:38
Shots: UNC 19 (3/2/4/5/4/1), SJU 12 (1/4/3/2/2/0)
Penalty corners: UNC 4 (0/1/0/2/1/0), SJU 4 (0/1/0/2/1/0)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 4 (Alex Halpin, 15:00 0 goals allowed, 0 saves; Amanda Hendry, 50:38 2 goals allowed, 4 saves), SJU 9 (Victoria Kammerinke, 70:38 3 goals allowed, 8 saves)
Defensive saves: SJU 1 (Emily Henry)
Records: UNC 17-0, SJU 15-3

UNC starters: Alex Halpin, Madison Orobono, Catherine Hayden, Feline Guenther, Yentl Leemans, Ali Rushton, Eva Smolenaars, Courtnie Williamson, Megan DuVernois, Marissa Creatore, Ellen Payne
UNC subs: Hannah Griggs, Bryn Boylan, Karlijn Goes, Abby Pitcairn, Riley Fulmer, Amanda Hendry