Category: Field hockey

One legend replaces another: Matson succeeds Shelton as UNC field hockey coach

How will the Carolina field hockey program maintain its high standard without transcendent star Erin Matson on the field next season? By making her the head coach, as one legend replaces another.

UNC rolls to 26th field hockey Final Four; Matson gets hat trick in final home game

CHAPEL HILL — Carolina’s redemption season took another step on an emotional day that marked the final home game for transcendent Tar Heels star Erin Matson. She’s given fans so many eye-popping memories over her five-year UNC career and added another one with a hat trick in her final game at Karen Shelton Stadium. One season after the Tar Heels lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, top-ranked Carolina rolled past Saint Joseph’s 5–1 on Sunday in the quarterfinals with the domination that showed why it’s the best and the most tradition-rich program in the country.

Unbeaten UNC ascends to No. 1 in field hockey poll

Carolina’s field hockey team is back in a familiar place atop the NFHCA national coaches poll. The Tar Heels (8–0, 2–0 ACC), who have won nine NCAA titles, ascended to No. 1 in the latest poll released Tuesday after they beat Wake Forest at home 2–0 and the previously top-ranked Northwestern lost 2–0 to Iowa in Friday action. Four of UNC’s victories have come against teams ranked in the Top 10.

UNC field hockey poised to be top-ranked after overflow crowd watches Matson, Heels roll

CHAPEL HILL — The final season of the Erin Matson Show is becoming wildly popular. An overflow crowd estimated at 1,150, one of the largest in UNC program history, turned out for the latest episode on a sun-splashed Friday afternoon at Karen Shelton Stadium. Many fans were standing or sitting on the grass to watch a legend of Carolina’s storied field hockey program.

UNC field hockey holds at No. 2, women’s soccer slips in poll, cross country teams move up

While the unstoppable Carolina field hockey team held on to its No. 2 ranking, the UNC women’s soccer team fell a spot, and both cross country teams moved up in their polls. Coach Karen Shelton’s field hockey team is 7–0 after blanking No. 4 Louisville 3–0 Friday in its ACC opener. The Tar Heels, who have won their last four games by a combined score of 20–0, face No. 15 Wake Forest in their league home opener at 4 p.m. Friday (ACC Network Extra/ESPN3).

UNC slips in women’s soccer poll, but it will be No. 2 vs. No. 3 at Duke

UCLA leapfrogged Carolina and Duke to take the No. 1 spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches women’s soccer Top 25 after winning on the road 2–1 last week against the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils, who meet Thursday. The Bruins (5–0–0), No. 3 last week, got all eight first-place votes, with UNC (5–1–0) and Duke (5–1–0) each slipping one spot, the Tar Heels to No. 2 and the Blue Devils to No. 3.

Matson has UNC’s redemption field hockey season off to strong start, leads win over Princeton

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s season of redemption is off to an impressive start in the fifth and final season for all-everything forward Erin Matson — field hockey’s answer to Charlie Justice, Michael Jordan, Phil Ford or Mia Hamm. Losing is alien to the program, and the Tar Heels dealt with an uncommon share of that last season. No. 2 UNC continued to put that behind it Friday, moving to 3–0 with its third win over a ranked team, this one a 4–3 ACC-Ivy Challenge win over No. 13 Princeton in their home opener at Karen Shelton Stadium.

ACC Network will air UNC games in several fall sports

Highlighted by the field hockey battle against fellow national power Iowa, North Carolina teams will appear on ACC Network this fall several times. There will be 12 Tar Heels games involving football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey and volleyball on the network. That total will likely rise, with the football opener at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 unlikely to be the only ACCN appearance for Coach Mack Brown’s team.