By R.L. Bynum
It must be the weekend of 1–0 victories in Carolina athletics.
One day after the men’s and women’s soccer teams won ACC tournament semifinals on Thursday in Cary by that score, UNC’s field hockey team held on for a 1–0 win over Miami of Ohio at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill. in the Tar Heels’ NCAA tournament opener.
Carolina (13–7) advanced to face host No. 1 Northwestern (19–2) at 2 p.m. Sunday with a spot in the Final Four on the line. The reigning national champion Wildcats, who beat Saint Joseph’s 5–0 in Friday’s first game in Evanston, beat the Tar Heels 4–3 in overtime in a national semifinal in Durham last season.
In the seventh minute, Morgan O’Donnell moved the ball along the end line and passed to Dani Mendez, who deflected the ball it to the left of Miami goaltender Macarena Gonzalez for the only goal the Tar Heels would need.
After Carolina led shots 6–0 in the first quarter, Miami (15–5) played the Tar Heels more evenly, finally getting a shot on goal in the 27th minute with goaltender Tessa Shahbo stopping Maxima Aguirregomezcorta. UNC ended up leading in shots 14–6, shots on goal 4–3 and penalty corners 5–4
In the 36th minute, Charley Bruder’s shot hit off the crossbar. Ryleigh Heck was wide right on a shot in the 59th minute.
Miami pulled its goaltender after Shahbo saved a Malena Sabez shot on a corner in the 56th minute. Eighteen seconds later, Shahbo saved an Aguirregomezcorta shot on another corner, but the Redhawks couldn’t score as Shahbo earned her third shutout.
On Thursday, Carolina’s women’s soccer team beat Duke 1–0, and the men’s soccer team topped N.C. State 1–0.
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Notes
— UNC is making its 24th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the longest active streak, and the 43rd overall, the most of any country
— It was Carolina’s first game in Evanston since a 6–2 victory over Northwestern on Sept. 20, 1987.
— Carolina has won all six meetings with Miami, winning by a combined score of 30–2. It was the first postseason meeting.
No. 11 UNC 1, Miami of Ohio 0
| 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 | Michigan | 0–1 |
| 30 | Sunday | L, 3–2, OT | No. 7 Iowa | 0–2 |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Friday | W, 7–0 | Penn | 1–2 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0, OT (3–2 shootout) | No. 5 Princeton | 2–2 |
| 11 | Friday | L, 5–4, OT | Old Dominion | 2–3 |
| 13 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | at Richmond | 3–3 |
| 20 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | vs. Virginia | 3–4, 0–1 ACC |
| 25 | Friday | W, 8–1 | at Stanford | 4–4, 1–1 |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 4–0 | at California | 5–4, 2–1 |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | W, 3–0 | at Louisville | 6–4, 3–1 |
| 9 | Friday | W, 8–0. | at Saint Joseph’s | 7–4 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | at No. 17 Liberty | 7–5 |
| 16 | Friday | W, 4–0 | vs. Boston College | 8–5, 4–1 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 10 Syracuse | 9–5, 5–1 |
| 23 | Friday | L, 4–3 | vs. No. 9 Wake Forest | 9–6, 5–2 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 5–0 | at Appalachian State | 10–6 |
| 30 | Friday | W, 2–1 | at No. 7 Duke | 11–6, 6–2 |
| November | ACC tournament At Karen Shelton Stadium | |||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 6–0 | First round: vs. Stanford | 12–6 |
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 3–2, (3–1 shootout) | Semifinals: No. 10 Syracuse | 12–7 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 13 | Friday | W, 1–0 | First round: vs. No. 13 Miami of Ohio in Evanston, Ill. | 13–7 |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | Quarterfinals (with win): vs. No.1 Northwestern | ESPN+ |
| 20 | Friday | TBA | National semifinals Louisville | |
| 23 | Sunday | TBA | Championship Louisville |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
