Carolina scored three goals in the opening quarter of Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Delaware at Karen Shelton Stadium, and the Tar Heels cruised to a 4-0 win to advance to Sunday’s national quarterfinals.

Katie Dixon, Ciana Riccardo and Lisa Slinkert all found the back of the cage within the game’s first 13 minutes to give Carolina a comfortable lead. The score stayed 3-0 until Sietske Brüning’s fifth goal of the season early in the fourth quarter.

Carolina’s dominance was borne out in the box score. The Tar Heels outshot the Blue Hens 27-0, including 23 shots on goal. UNC also took 15 penalty corners to Delaware’s zero. It’s the first time since 2018 – head coach Erin Matson’s freshman season – that the Tar Heels have held an opponent without a single shot, on target or otherwise.

The win keeps UNC undefeated on the season at 19-0. Carolina will be back in action on Sunday at 12 p.m. in Chapel Hill in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Tar Heels will face either Maryland or Duke for the right to advance to the Final Four in Ann Arbor, MI next weekend.

 

Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter

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