The Tar Heels now know their path to a three-peat.

Carolina earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament on Sunday night and will host either Fairfield or Delaware at Karen Shelton Stadium on Friday at 11 a.m. The Stags and Blue Hens will play in Chapel Hill on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

 

No. 2 Northwestern (which has lost the last two national championship games to Carolina), No. 3 UConn and No. 4 Saint Joseph’s round out the national seeds. From the ACC, Duke, Virginia, Syracuse and Boston College also earned at-large bids. In an interesting twist, Duke will play Maryland at Karen Shelton Stadium after UNC’s first-round game, with the winners of those two games facing off on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Carolina enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the eight-time defending ACC Tournament champions. The Tar Heels are the field’s No. 1 overall seed for the third consecutive season and 12th time since seeding began in 1997. The next closest program has six. The Tar Heels’ 41 NCAA Tournament appearances are also the most in the country. UNC is seeking its third consecutive national championship, sixth in the last seven seasons and 12th overall.

For a full look at the NCAA Tournament bracket, click here.

 

Featured image via Matt Clements

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