By R.L. Bynum
Star forward Ryleigh Heck had not played for Carolina in 308 days, but there was no evidence of rust.
Heck, the 2023 National Player of the Year, scored two goals and assisted on another while Coco Courtright (top photo) notched a pair of goals in North Carolina’s 8–1 victory Friday night over Stanford at Varsity Field in Palo Alto, Calif.
That matched the score of the Tar Heels’ win over the Cardinal last season at Karen Shelton Stadium, when Heck had five goals and an assist. UNC’s scoring output matched the total number of goals Stanford had given up in its first eight games.
Six players scored for Carolina (4–4, 1–1 ACC), but the story of the night belonged to the reunion at the center of it all. Heck was back on the field for the first time all season and started, along with fellow fifth-year graduate students Sietske Brüning and Dani Mendez; all three were cleared to return earlier in the week after a court ruling restored their eligibility.
The trio’s presence was a huge boost from the start as Carolina fired off four shots in the first four minutes, an opening burst that set the tone for the rest of the night. Brüning got it started, sending the Tar Heels’ first shot on goal as if she had never left.
“It’s great having Ryleigh, Sietske and Dani back out on the field, but what I mainly want to highlight is they had a great game, all three of them,” UNC coach Erin Matson said. “I think everybody knows how happy it makes us to have them back out there, but what I mainly want to highlight is how everybody else on the field — you can see how much fun everybody else on the field had, how confident they were today, how well they passed and played team defense.”
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That confidence showed up almost immediately. Freshman Sofia Ferri pounced on a rebound of a saved Charley Bruder shot in the 14th minute for Carolina’s first goal.
From there, the second quarter turned into a Courtright showcase. The junior reserve midfielder buried her second goal of the season on a corner in the 22nd minute. Fourth-three seconds later, Courtright converted on another corner, firing in another goal of the game for her first career multi-goal game.
“We got more outcomes in the circle, and I think it’s clear that again, staying committed to growth and our development, you see that,” Matson said. “Every single person on the field is continuing to get better. We’re really proud of them. Played a good game of team hockey, and I think again heading into Sunday, it’s all about development and growth and just staying focused on that.
“So, we’re going to get better and focus on a couple things and continue to keep the things that are clicking and going really well, going in the right direction,” Matson said.
Carolina scored twice in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Heck fed graduate midfielder Molly Catchpole for a goal in the 32nd minute. Seventy-six seconds later, sophomore forward Reese Anetsberger passed to Bruder, who redirected it with a backhand shot to make it 5-0.
The Tar Heels kept the pressure on, and Heck put her name on the scoresheet again, positioning herself perfectly to finish a rebound for Carolina’s sixth goal in the 35th minute. Early in the fourth quarter, in the 46th minute, Heck deflected in a feed from Anetsberger to make it 7–0.
With about six minutes remaining, Carolina drew its 11th corner of the night, and Hope Haynes capped the scoring, converting for the Tar Heels’ eighth goal in the 54th minute.
Stanford (7–3, 0–2) avoided the shutout with an unassisted goal from Caroline Richard in the 58th minute. Carolina held the Cardinal to four shots, as sophomore goaltender Merritt Skubisz only had to make one save.
The Tar Heels play the second of five consecutive road games on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, visiting No. 17 California (5–2, 0–1). The Bears lost their ACC opener at home Friday night, 3–2, to No. 12 Louisville.
UNC 8, Stanford 1
ACC standings
| League | Overall | |
|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| No. 5 Duke | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| No. 11 Syracuse | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| North Carolina | 1–1 | 4–4 |
| No. 9 Virginia | 1–2 | 5–3 |
| Stanford | 0–1 | 7–2 |
| California | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| No. 3 Wake Forest | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| Boston College | 0–1 | 3–5 |
Friday’s results
North Carolina 8, Stanford 1
No. 5 Duke 3, No. 3 Wake Forest 2
No. 12 Louisville 3, No. 17 California 2
No. 11 Syracuse 3, No. 9 Virginia 0
Sunday’s games
No. 11 Syracuse at No. 3 Wake Forest, noon
Boston College at No. 5 Duke, 1 p.m.
North Carolina at No. 17 California, 4 p.m. ET
| 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. 13 Michigan | 0–1 |
| 30 | Sunday | L, 3–2, OT | No. 5 Iowa | 0–2 |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Friday | W, 7–0 | Penn | 1–2 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0, OT (3–2 shootout) | No. 8 Princeton | 2–2 |
| 11 | Friday | L, 5–4, OT | No. 20 Old Dominion | 2–3 |
| 13 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | at Richmond | 3–3 |
| 20 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | vs. No. 9 Virginia | 3–4, 0–1 ACC |
| 25 | Friday | W, 8–1 | at Stanford | 4–4, 1–1 |
| 27 | Sunday | 4 p.m. ET | at No. 17 California | |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | 3 p.m. | at No. 12 Louisville | |
| 9 | Friday | 3 p.m. | at Saint Joseph’s | |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 14 Liberty | |
| 16 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCNE |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Syracuse | ACCN |
| 23 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 3 Wake Forest | ACCNE |
| 25 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Appalachian State | |
| 30 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at No. 5 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
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