The No. 1 UNC field hockey team stayed undefeated Sunday afternoon, beating No. 14 Liberty 6-3 on the road. The Tar Heels are now 9-0 overall and 4-0 in true road games. When counting Carolina’s neutral-site wins in 2022, the team is 6-0 away from Karen Shelton Stadium.

Carolina will hold on to its No. 1 ranking for another week, and continues to be the only unbeaten team left in Division 1 field hockey.

The Tar Heels were their typical, dominant selves in the game, scoring twice within the opening 6:55 to jump out in front. Erin Matson scored the first goal on a penalty stroke, and would end the day with four goals to her name. It’s the fourth four-goal game of her illustrious career.

The Flames got one back before the end of the first quarter, but UNC responded with a run of four unanswered goals through the early fourth quarter, capping the outburst with Matson’s fourth and final goal, her 13th of the season. Matson’s second goal came with just 23 seconds remaining before halftime, restoring Carolina’s two-goal advantage and dampening the Flames’ spirits.

The Tar Heels outshot the Flames 16-6 (Matson, with eight shots, outdid the team by herself), and Liberty’s three goals were the first allowed by Carolina in a month. UNC came into Sunday on a streak of five consecutive shutout wins, three of which also came on the road.

The Tar Heels will continue their travels for the next seven days, visiting No. 16 Boston College on Friday and No. 11 Connecticut on Sunday before finally returning to Karen Shelton Stadium on October 14. UNC’s game with the Eagles will start at 4 p.m.

 

Featured image via Liberty Athletics/Matthew Reynolds

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