By R.L. Bynum
The ACC came to expect high achievement from North Carolina when Erin Matson was the best field hockey player in the country, and those expectations haven’t changed with her head coaching debut ahead on Friday.
In the preseason ACC poll released on Monday, UNC is the favorite to win its seventh consecutive league title after going undefeated last season and winning the program’s 10th national title season, the final year under Coach Karen Shelton.
In a vote of the league’s seven coaches, UNC got 45 poll points and four first-place votes, with Virginia garnering 32 points and three first-place votes. Syracuse is picked third (32 points), followed by Louisville (24), Boston College (22), Wake Forest (17) and Duke (14).
The NFHCA preseason poll comes out on Tuesday.
Picked for the 11-player Preseason All-ACC team are sophomore forward Ryleigh Heck and sophomore midfielder Sietske Brüning, after both started every game of last season’s national-championship season.
Heck, second on the team in goals (18) and points (38) behind Matson, was the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-ACC first team. Brüning, who registered three goals and eight assists, made All-ACC second team as a freshman.
Shelton retired after 42 seasons and an NCAA-record 745 wins and 10 national championships. Matson played on four NCAA championship teams and five ACC championship teams. She was a three-time recipient of the Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey, becoming just the second player r — after Shelton — to win that honor three times. Matson finished her career as the all-time scoring leader in ACC history and NCAA Tournament play.
UNC has veteran leadership from seniors Katie Dixon, a midfielder, and Romea Riccardo, a defender entering her fifth season, who were voted captains by their teammates last week.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
“Katie and Romea have proven themselves to be outstanding leaders for our team, on and off the pitch,” Matson said. “They lead by example and make those around them better. There is no question that they will continue to grow and learn together. They were selected by their teammates, which shows the respect they have earned, and the staff echoes that decision. I am proud to name them this year’s team captains.”
The Tar Heels, who went 21–0 and 6–0 in the league a year ago, played exhibition matches last weekend against Wake Forest and Duke, but the results weren’t made public.
Carolina opens the season with the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at Karen Shelton Stadium at 8:30 p.m. Friday against Michigan. On the second day of the Challenge, UNC meets Iowa at 1 p.m. Sunday.
ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
1. North Carolina (4 first-place votes), 45 poll points
2. Virginia (3), 42
3. Syracuse, 32
4. Louisville, 24
5. Boston College, 22
6. Wake Forest, 17
7. Duke, 14
Preseason All-ACC Team
Margo Carlin, F, Gr., Boston College
Hannah Miller, F, Gr., Duke
Julie Kouijzer, D, 5th, Louisville
Aimee Plumb, F, Sr., Louisville
Ryleigh Heck, F, So., North Carolina
Sietske Brüning, M, So., North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, F, Gr., Syracuse
Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, B, Sr., Syracuse
Daniela Mendez-Trendler, M, So., Virginia
Nat Friedman, M, Gr., Wake Forest
Ellie Todd, GK, So., Wake Forest
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranking) | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Winston-Salem | |||
| 28 | Friday | L, 2–1, OT | No. 8 Michigan | 0–1 |
| 30 | Sunday | L, 3–2, OT | No. 2 Iowa | 0–2 |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Friday | W, 7–0 | Penn | 1–2 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0, OT (3–2 shootout) | No. 4 Princeton | 2–2 |
| 11 | Friday | 5 p.m. | No. 20 Old Dominion | ACCNE |
| 13 | Sunday | Noon | at Richmond | ESPN+ |
| 20 | Sunday | Noon | vs. No. 11 Virginia | ACCN |
| 25 | Friday | 9 p.m. ET | at Stanford | |
| 27 | Sunday | 4 p.m. ET | at California | |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | 3 p.m. | at No. 14 Louisville | |
| 9 | Friday | 3 p.m. | at Saint Joseph’s | |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 13 Liberty | |
| 16 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCNE |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. No. 15 Syracuse | ACCN |
| 23 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Wake Forest | ACCNE |
| 25 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Appalachian State | |
| 30 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ACCN |
| November | ACC tournament | |||
| 3–6 | Tue.–Fri | At Karen Shelton Stadium | ACCN | |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 13 | Friday | TBA | First round Campus sites | |
| 15 | Sunday | TBA | Second round Campus sites | |
| 20 | Friday | TBA | National semifinals Louisville | |
| 23 | Sunday | TBA | Championship Louisville |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
