UNC Field Hockey Beats Duke in Overtime to Advance to Final Four

Sanne Hak scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner in sudden-victory overtime against Duke to send UNC through to the Final Four Sunday at Karen Shelton Stadium. The 2-1 win is Carolina’s third against the Blue Devils this season, two of which have come in overtime.

Kara Heck scored UNC’s only goal of regulation, giving the top-seeded Tar Heels a 1-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The score stayed 1-0 until the fourth quarter, when Duke scored the equalizing goal off a rebound in front of the UNC cage. Neither team managed a shot on target in the final 12:37 of action, sending the game to overtime tied at 1-1.

Carolina dominated possession in the extra period, holding the Blue Devils without a shot. It wouldn’t take long for UNC to find its game-winning breakthrough, as the Tar Heels earned back-to-back penalty corners in a span of 23 seconds. Hak came through on the second time of asking, scoring her first goal of the NCAA Tournament to clinch the win.

UNC outshot the Blue Devils 24-7 overall, though goalies Katie Wimmer and Merritt Skubisz had to make five combined saves to hold Duke to just its one goal. Carolina’s decisive penalty corner was its 15th of the game, tied for the team’s second-most in a single game this season.

Carolina now advances to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four for the fourth straight season and 29th time overall. The Tar Heels won’t have to travel far, as the national semifinals and championship will be played in Durham on the Duke campus. UNC will face defending national champions Northwestern in the semifinals Friday.

Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter

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