Field Hockey Edges Louisville In ACC Tourney Opener, 2-1

Tuesday, November 4

Louisville, KY

10 AM

North Carolina

(17-1)

Louisville

(8-10)

North Carolina

Louisville

November 4, 2025 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: William Soulé

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Goals on either side of halftime were enough to send Carolina field hockey to a 2-1 victory over the hosts Louisville in the opening round of the 2025 ACC Championship on Tuesday morning.

The Tar Heels (17-1) out shot the Cardinals, 20-2, and only allowed the one shot on goal, but were only able to come up with the two scores despite the dominance on the ball. It was good enough to see them into the second round though, extending their winning streak in this competition to 21 games.

Carolina asserted itself early in the first quarter, but couldn't quite find the breakthrough against a Cardinals defense that came up with 12 saves (10 from the goalie, two defensive) on the day. UNC's opponents are averaging 7.11 saves per game against them, a number that would be good for the 12^th best average in the nation.

The deadlock was broken in the second quarter by a great team goal. Pressing Louisville deep in their own half, Dani Mendez intercepted an attempted outlet pass and immediately went on the attack.

Mendez laid the ball off to Ryleigh Heck at the top of the circle who got it right back to Mendez further forward. A delicate spin move and a beautifully weighted pass from Mendez found its way to a perfectly positioned Reese Anetsberger at the back post who could only put the ball in the back of the net from there.

The freshman forward is up to four goals on the year to pair with her nine assists. A key contributor to the Carolina offense, her head coach sang her praises after the game.

"I'm super proud of Reese and how she's playing," Erin Matson said. "She's always willing to make the unselfish run, always willing to put in the work to put herself in the positions her team needs her to be in. Happy that hustle paid off for her and us today."

Louisville dragged the game back level early in the third quarter off a breakaway goal from their leading scorer Rylie Wollerton. It meant Carolina had to find a way past the Cardinals defense once again.

And once again, the goal came from a Tar Heel true freshman. This time it was Isabel Boere off a penalty corner that found the back of the net. It's the newcomers' third game-winning goal of the season, tied with Heck and Mendez for the fifth most in the conference.

The Tar Heels advance to the semifinals of the ACC tournament where they will face Duke on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Carolina has made at least the semis in every single ACC tournament dating back to its beginning in 1983, 43 years running.