Tar Heels Take 5-1 Win Over Cal To Kick Off Conference Play

Friday, September 19

Chapel Hill

6 PM

North Carolina

(7-0, 1-0)

Cal

(3-3, 0-1)

California

North Carolina

September 19, 2025 | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: William Soulé

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Carolina field hockey put another notch in the win column on Friday night, opening conference play with a 5-1 victory over Cal in front of a packed Karen Shelton Stadium.

The Tar Heels' (7-0, 1-0 ACC) offense continues to roll, scoring three or more goals in all seven games this year with five or more finding the back of the net on three occasions. The win makes it 10 straight in regular season ACC matchups for UNC.

It was a tightly contested first quarter for the Heels, who finally got their breakthrough from the dynamic duo of Ryleigh Heck and Charly Bruder. Heck's ever impressive stick skill took her down to the end line where she would squeeze the ball through three Cal defenders to find a wide open Bruder who popped it over the goalkeeper for her sixth goal of the season.

Heck got a goal of her own just on the other side of the quarter break, redirecting a corner shot from Isabel Boere into the back of the net. It is her first goal off a penalty corner this season and the team's eighth.

Two minutes later, Cal pulled back within one off a penalty corner of their own. And then precisely one minute after that, Dani Mendez sent a diving pass across the circle to a waiting Eliza Perrin to make it 3-1 Tar Heels.

Heck and Mendez went on to put the game away with a pair of ridiculous low-probability goals. Heck's second of the day and seventh of the year came via a pure power shot that beat the Golden Bears' keeper nearpost.

Mendez, for her part, put on a dribbling clinic to weave her way through the Cal back line and hit the back of the net. The Virginia transfer continued her unbelievable start to her time in Carolina blue, she is now up to a team-high 17 points on the year with five goals and seven assists.

Reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Week Merritt Skubisz made it three straight appearances without giving up a goal by keeping Cal off the board in the second half.

The Tar Heels return to Karen Shelton Stadium on Sunday afternoon for another ACC showdown with Stanford. First hit is slated for 1 p.m. ET with coverage once again coming on ACCNX.