University of North Carolina Athletics
Sunday, September 6
Chapel Hill
12:30 PM
North Carolina
(2-2)
1
vs
0
Princeton
(1-1)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Photo by: NICHOLAS I. YORK
Field Hockey Knocks Off Princeton In Dramatic Shootout
September 6, 2026 | Field Hockey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 10 Carolina field hockey won in shootout fashion over No. 2 Princeton in the finale of the annual Conference Crossover on Sunday afternoon in Karen Shelton Stadium.
The Tar Heels (2-2) got a decisive finish from freshman Sofia Ferri to claim victory over the visiting Tigers with the 10th shot taken in the shootout. It was the first time Shelton Stadium had seen a shootout since Carolina claimed the 2023 national title on their home field. It is the 13th straight win for North Carolina over Princeton dating back to 2013.
It was defensive slugfest where both teams found it difficult to generate chances. What threats the Tar Heels did face were thwarted by sophomore goalkeeper Merritt Skubisz, who tallied five saves and kept her team in the game throughout.
The most dramatic of the five came in the final seconds of the first half. Princeton's Reese Milone found herself all alone on the far post of the goal from a corner routine and had nothing but net in front of her before Skubisz recovered with a full extension stick save to keep the game tied.
Another vital defensive intervention came on the other side of half time when Morgan O'Donnell cleared a Princeton shot right off the goal line. It was an inch-perfect first career defensive save for the freshman who has started every game so far this season for the Heels.
Regulation and overtime ended with the team's still scoreless, so it was on to a shootout. Carolina took early command of the game's final phase thanks to successful tries from Coco Courtright and Reese Anetsberger paired with saves of the first three Tiger attempts by Skubisz.
Princeton clawed their back by converting their final two attempts and thought they had tied things up when Ferri's first attempt was unsuccessful. A foul called on the Tigers' goalkeeper gave the freshman another shot and she took advantage, putting the keeper on her back and diving to finish in the bottom corner.
The Tar Heels will be back in Karen Shelton Stadium once again next Friday to face off against Old Dominion. The game will start at 5 p.m. ET and be streamed live on ACCNX.
The Tar Heels (2-2) got a decisive finish from freshman Sofia Ferri to claim victory over the visiting Tigers with the 10th shot taken in the shootout. It was the first time Shelton Stadium had seen a shootout since Carolina claimed the 2023 national title on their home field. It is the 13th straight win for North Carolina over Princeton dating back to 2013.
It was defensive slugfest where both teams found it difficult to generate chances. What threats the Tar Heels did face were thwarted by sophomore goalkeeper Merritt Skubisz, who tallied five saves and kept her team in the game throughout.
The most dramatic of the five came in the final seconds of the first half. Princeton's Reese Milone found herself all alone on the far post of the goal from a corner routine and had nothing but net in front of her before Skubisz recovered with a full extension stick save to keep the game tied.
MIMI 𝙐𝙉𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙑𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀 SAVE 🤯🤯🤯
— Carolina Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) September 6, 2026
Skubisz stick stands strong! #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/pHOZhCjdkK
Another vital defensive intervention came on the other side of half time when Morgan O'Donnell cleared a Princeton shot right off the goal line. It was an inch-perfect first career defensive save for the freshman who has started every game so far this season for the Heels.
Regulation and overtime ended with the team's still scoreless, so it was on to a shootout. Carolina took early command of the game's final phase thanks to successful tries from Coco Courtright and Reese Anetsberger paired with saves of the first three Tiger attempts by Skubisz.
Princeton clawed their back by converting their final two attempts and thought they had tied things up when Ferri's first attempt was unsuccessful. A foul called on the Tigers' goalkeeper gave the freshman another shot and she took advantage, putting the keeper on her back and diving to finish in the bottom corner.
The Tar Heels will be back in Karen Shelton Stadium once again next Friday to face off against Old Dominion. The game will start at 5 p.m. ET and be streamed live on ACCNX.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Field Hockey
M/B
/ Field Hockey
M/B
/ Field Hockey
B
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field HockeyTeam Stats
PRIN
UNC
Goals
0
0
Shots
15
9
Shots on Goal
6
3
Saves
3
5
Corners
8
2
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Game Leaders
Shots
4
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Monday, September 07
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