Field Hockey Opens NCAA Tournament Against Delaware

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina Field Hockey team begins yet another journey into the NCAA tournament on Friday morning, hosting Delaware for a first round matchup at Karen Shelton Stadium.

The game will start at 11:00 a.m. ET and tickets are available here or at the gate. UNC students who show their OneCard will be admitted free, while supplies last.

Maryland and Duke will meet at 1:30 p.m. ET later that day in KSS with the winners of the two games facing off on Sunday at noon for a spot in the NCAA semifinals. Delaware (12-9) advanced to face the Tar Heels after coming from behind in dramatic fashion to defeat Fairfield 2-1 in 2OT on Wednesday.

Noting the Tar Heels
• The Tar Heels claimed their 27th ACC title last Friday with a 4-1 win over Boston College.
• It was UNC's eighth conference championship in a row. Goals from Charly Bruder, Ciana Riccardo, Sanne Hak, and Ryleigh Heck helped Carolina dominate the game. Starting goalkeeper Abigail Taylor did not give up a goal in her 56 minutes of action.
• Taylor's 0.49 goals against average is the best in the country.
• On their run to the title, Carolina set a new ACC single-tournament assists record with 12, breaking a 28 year old mark set by the 1996 Tar Heel team.
• UNC set a new season-high with 16 corners against BC, totaling xx in three games.
• Bruder's five goals on the week helped her earn tournament MVP honors before also being named the NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week, giving her four weekly awards on the year.
• She now sits in a tie with for the 8th most goals in a year in program history and needs just one more score to tie her head coach's tallies from her final two campaigns at 27, which would put her in a five way tie for the 4th most all-time.
• UNC has out shot their opponents in every single game this season, for a +264 margin.
• Bruder and Ryleigh Heck continue to be the class of the ACC. Bruder leads the conference in goals (26, also best in the nation), shots (118), and points (54). Heck leads in assists (15) while sitting in second in shots on goal (50) and points (41).
• The Heels lead the nation in goals per game (4.06), assists per game (3.72), points per game (11.83), scoring average (4.29), scoring margin (3.76), and goals against average (0.53). They are second in penalty corners per game (9.28) and third in shutouts (10).

UNC in the NCAA Tournament
• The Tar Heels come into this postseason chasing their third consecutive and 12th overall national championship, the most by any program in the sport's history.
• Recent history especially has been all Carolina. The team has claimed five of the last six titles to overtake Old Dominion for the most all-time.
• Much of that recent success can be attributed to the arrival of Erin Matson to Chapel Hill. The "goat of field hockey" won four titles in five years as a player before winning once again last season in her first as the head coach.
• Matson also holds the NCAA tournament career records for most points scored with 54 and most goals with 23.
• She took over for the legendary Karen Shelton, who won 10 times in her 42 years in charge. She holds the records for the most NCAA titles won by a single coach, most tournament appearances (39), games coached (106), and games won (77).
• The Heels are making a record 41st appearance in the NCAA tournament field. Friday's game will be UNC's 111th in tournament play, also a record.
• Carolina has won 81 games in the NCAA tournament, more than any other school. Maryland is second with 69 and Old Dominion is second with 50. UCONN at 47 rounds out the only four teams with more than 40 wins.
• North Carolina is 81-29 all-time in the tournament, holding the record for the best winning percentage (.736).
• UNC has the most championship round appearances with 27.
• UNC is 8-9 in games that make it to overtime.
• UNC comes into the tournament as the top seed for the third year in a row and the sixth time in the past seven years.
• The program has been the No. 1 seeded team on 12 different occasions since seeding began in 1997, having done so six more times than the next closest team (Maryland).
• In those 12 tournaments as the top seed, Carolina has come away with eight national championships and holds a 37-4 record.

Heels v. Hens
• Friday's game is the 10th all time meeting between UNC and Delaware. Carolina leads the series 7-2.
• The past three meetings between the two programs have come in NCAA tournament play.
• Last time they met: Nov. 11, 2022. In one of Erin Matson's last games as a player, the Heels came from behind to beat the Blue Hens 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• The game, played in Karen Shelton Stadium, saw scores from a few familiar faces. Kennedy Cliggett scored twice to put Carolina back in front as Ryleigh Heck and Lisa Slinkert also got their names on the score sheet.
• In 2016 Delaware earned the pinnacle moment of their program at the expense of the Heels, winning the national championship 3-2.
• The other postseason scrap between the two came in 2013. Carolina won 6-2 to advance to the second round.

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Players Mentioned

Charly Bruder

Kennedy Cliggett

Sanne Hak

Ryleigh Heck

Ciana Riccardo

Lisa Slinkert

Abigail Taylor