By R.L. Bynum
Coach Erin Matson’s Carolina field hockey team is back on top.
The Tar Heels (8–1, 1–0 ACC) were the preseason No. 1 team, but Iowa supplanted them after the Hawkeyes’ 3–2 overtime win over UNC on Aug. 27. Carolina has won seven consecutive games since then and is back to the top spot in the NFHCA Coaches Poll after Iowa lost to Ohio State (which moved up four spots to No. 7) last week 2–1. Iowa (10–1) slipped to No. 3.
That gives Carolina three teams currently ranked No. 1, with Coach Anson Dorrance’s women’s soccer team and Coach Andrew DiBitetto’s men’s golf team also top-ranked. In addition, the football team is No. 14 and the men’s soccer team is No. 18.
UNC went from getting one first-place vote last week to 13 this week. Northwestern (11–1) moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 and got the most first-place votes with 15.
UNC rolled to a 4–1 road victory Sunday over St. Joseph’s (which dropped one spot to No. 14), with goals from four players. The most spectacular score of the day was Ryleigh Heck’s lunging goal while stumbling over the goalkeeper.
“It was an important out-of-conference win against a tough and disciplined team,” Matson said. “We had a little bit of a slow start but stuck to the gameplan. The way we played in the second half, that’s what we want to look like.”
The Tar Heels return to ACC play at 4 p.m. Friday (ESPN3), playing at home against No. 11 Boston College. Every remaining opponent on Carolina’s schedule is ranked. Sunday, UNC hosts No. 10 Liberty.
Top 20
| Rank | School | Record | Poll points (1st-place votes) | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | 8-1 | 828 (13) | 2 | ▲1 |
| 2 | Northwestern | 11-1 | 795 (15) | 3 | ▲1 |
| 3 | Iowa | 10-1 | 754 (9) | 1 | ▼2 |
| 4 | Duke | 10-1 | 742 (1) | 4 | ― |
| 5 | Louisville | 9-1 | 715 (3) | 5 | ― |
| 6 | Rutgers | 10-0 | 671 (4) | 6 | ― |
| 7 | Ohio State | 11-2 | 577 (0) | 11 | ▲4 |
| 8 | Virginia | 7-4 | 566 (0) | 7 | ▼1 |
| 9 | Maryland | 8-3 | 521 (0) | 8 | ▼1 |
| 10 | Liberty | 10-1 | 487 (0) | 9 | ▼1 |
| 11 | Boston College | 7-4 | 427 (0) | 12 | ▲1 |
| 12 | Syracuse | 8-3 | 424 (0) | 10 | ▼2 |
| 13 | Harvard | 7-3 | 388 (0) | 14 | ▲1 |
| 14 | Saint Joseph’s | 9-3 | 338 (0) | 13 | ▼1 |
| 15 | Michigan | 6-5 | 275 (0) | 15 | ― |
| 16 | Penn State | 5-5 | 185 (0) | 16 | ― |
| 17 | Massachusetts, Lowell | 9-2 | 118 (0) | 18 | ▲3 |
| 18 | Albany | 7-3 | 99 (0) | 19 | ▲3 |
| 19 | Massachusetts, Amherst | 7-5 | 97 (0) | 17 | ▼2 |
| 20 | Cornell | 6-3 | 77 (0) | 20 | ― |
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranking) | Location | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ACC/Big Ten Challenge | ||||
| 25 | Friday | W, 3–2 | No. 16 Michigan | Home | 1–0 |
| 27 | Sunday | L, 3–2 (OT) | No. 8 Iowa | Home | 1–1 |
| September | ACC/Ivy Challenge | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 4–0 | Penn | Philadelphia | 2–1 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 2–1 (OT) | Princeton | Philadelphia | 3–1 |
| —————————— | |||||
| 10 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | No. 17 Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | 4–1 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 2–0 | No. 10 Louisville | Home | 5–1, 1–0 ACC |
| 22 | Friday | W, 3–0 | Wake Forest | Winston-Salem | 6–1, 2–0 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 6–1 | Appalachian State | Home | 7–1 |
| October | |||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 4–1 | No. 13 Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia | 8–1 |
| 6 | Friday | W, 3–1 | No. 14 Boston College | Home | 9–1, 3–0 ACC |
| 8 | Sunday | L, 2–1 (OT) | No. 7 Liberty | Home | 9–2 |
| 13 | Friday | W, 4–1 | No. 11 Syracuse | Syracuse | 10–2, 4–1 ACC |
| 15 | Sunday | W, 4–3 | No. 18 Albany | Albany, N.Y. | 11–2 |
| 20 | Friday | L, 3–2 | No. 5 Virginia | Charlottesville | 11–3, 4–1 ACC |
| 27 | Friday | W, 2–1 | No. 3 Duke | Home | 12–3, 5–1 ACC |
| November | ACC tournament | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | W, 3–2 | Semifinals: No. 4 Virginia | Charlottesville | 13–3 |
| 4 | Friday | W, 2–0 | Final: No. 3 Duke | Charlottesville | 14–3 |
| NCAA tournament Link to bracket | |||||
| 10 | Friday | W, 6–1 | First round: William & Mary | Chapel Hill | 15–3 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 4–2 | Second round: No. 9 Harvard | Chapel Hill | 16–3 |
| 17 | Friday | W, 2–0 | National semifinal: No. 5 Virginia | Chapel Hill | 17–3 |
| 19 | Sunday | W, 2–1, 2 OTs (UNC wins shootout 3–2) | Championship: No. 2 Northwestern | Chapel Hill | 18–3 |
Photo by Michael Nance via @UNCFieldHockey
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