Heels Handle Hawkeyes In Comeback Effort

Sunday, August 31

Iowa City, IA

2 PM ET

North Carolina

(3-0, 0-0)

Iowa

(1-2, 0-0)

North Carolina

Iowa

August 31, 2025 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: William Soulé

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Carolina field hockey wrapped up its annual trip to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 4-1 victory over the hosts No. 15 Iowa on Sunday afternoon.

The Tar Heels (2-0) trailed in a regular season game for the first time since Halloween of 2023, but four unanswered goals saw head coach Erin Matson's side to a comfortable victory in the end. UNC got an excellent performance from transfer midfielder Dani Mendez, who opened her account in Carolina blue to the tune of two goals and an assist.

Iowa's Dionne van Aalsum scored the game's first goal in just the third minute, but it was all Carolina from there on in. Mendez's first goal levelled the tie in the eighth minute. The senior found herself in the right place at the right time as a shot off a penalty corner ricocheted right to her feet and she put it away smartly.

A pair of goals in the second quarter gave Carolina the lead and some breathing room. UNC's second of the day came as a result of well executed high press. Captain Sietske Brüning stole the ball deep in Hawkeye territory, found Mendez who found Ryleigh Heck in the circle who snaked around the goalkeeper for the finish.

Mendez bagged her second with a great piece of stick skill to get past three Iowa defenders and slot the ball into the bottom left corner. She was assisted by true freshman Reese Anetsberger on the play, who made a little magic of her own for the day's final goal.

Cutting into the circle off the right wing, the crafty Anetsberger knifed her way through the defense and found forward Kara Heck waiting at the back post for the re-direct goal. Both Heck sisters, playing together for the first time since their high school days, scored in each of Carolina's first two games.

The Tar Heels hit the road once again next weekend for their annual Conference Crossover where they will face Penn (Sept. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET) and Princeton (Sept. 7, 1:30 p.m. ET ) in Princeton, N.J.