Carolina cruised past No. 9 Duke in its final home game of the season on Sunday afternoon, shutting out the Blue Devils 3-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals to advance to next week’s Final Four in Ann Arbor, MI.
Ryleigh Heck scored two goals in a span of less than three minutes across the first and second quarters, and Kennedy Cliggett added one more for good measure late in the third quarter to pad the lead. But Carolina’s advantage was never seriously threatened throughout the afternoon, as the Tar Heels held the Blue Devils to just six total shots and one shot on goal, which was saved by goalie Abigail Taylor. On the other end, UNC consistently put pressure on the Duke cage with 12 shots on goal.
The win is Carolina’s 12th shutout of the season. The Tar Heels are now 20-0 overall heading into next week’s Final Four, which will be the team’s third consecutive appearance in the national semifinals, 15th in the last 16 seasons and 28th overall. UNC is seeking its third consecutive national championship and its sixth in the last seven seasons.
Carolina will face No. 4 overall seed Saint Joseph’s in the Final Four on Friday, November 22. A start time has not yet been announced.
Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter
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