The No. 4 UNC field hockey team closed out its regular season with a flourish on Friday night, defeating No. 2 Duke 2-1 in Chapel Hill. The win clinches a second straight ACC regular-season title for the Tar Heels.

After a scoreless first 45 minutes, Carolina found itself trailing just 1:49 into the fourth quarter after Duke scored on a penalty corner. But the Tar Heels answered just 26 seconds later, as Sanne Hak was in the right spot on a rebound for the put-back score. Three minutes later, it was Katie Dixon on a turnaround shot in front of the Blue Devil cage to give Carolina its first lead of the night.

That lead would stand up through a hectic final 10 minutes, one which saw two penalty corners for UNC, one for Duke and an empty Blue Devil cage for the final 3:21. Carolina goalie Maddie Kahn made two saves in the final minutes and three total to see out the win.

UNC finishes the regular season 12-3 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels will enter next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlottesville, VA, as the No. 1 overall seed and six-time defending champions. They will face the winner of No. 4 seed Virginia and No. 5 seed Syracuse in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday. Virginia beat Carolina in Charlottesville on October 20. For more information on the ACC Field Hockey Tournament, click here.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

Chapelboro.comย does not charge subscription fees, and you canย directly support our efforts in local journalismย here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you byย signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Field Hockey Sweeps ACC-Big Ten Challenge to Open 2025 Season
No. 2 UNC beat both No. 7 Michigan and No. 15 Iowa to sweep the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Iowa City, IA during Labor Day weekend. In the first game against the Wolverines Friday afternoon, goals from Ryleigh Heck and her sister Kara helped the Tar Heels to a 3-0 shutout victory. Ryleigh Heck, the […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Flying Dutch
Art Chansky breaks down the season outlook for the UNC field hockey team in Erin Matson's third year as head coach.
Chansky's Notebook: Let's Go, Ladies!
The UNC field hockey and women's soccer programs are set to be nationally competitive once again this fall.
UNC Field Hockey Announces 2025 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC field hockey program has announced its 2025 regular-season schedule. The Tar Heels are looking to reach at least the NCAA semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. Tell a friend to tell a friend, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜ฝ๐˜ผ๐˜พ๐™†! The 2025 schedule is here ๐Ÿ“† pic.twitter.com/LPFCFpGp6A — Carolina Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) July 18, 2025 The […]
'We're Walking a Fine Line': UNC's Erin Matson Talks House Settlement, New AD and Upcoming Season
UNC field hockey head coach Erin Matson joined 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell for a wide-ranging conversation Monday. Matson discussed the effects of the House settlement on her program, the hiring of Steve Newmark athletic director-in-waiting and preparations for the 2025 season. Read Matson’s comments, which have been lightly edited for clarity, below, orย click here […]
UNC Women's Sports Programs Win 2024-25 Capital One Cup
UNC has been named the winner of the 2024-25 Capital One Cup, awarded annually to the most successful women’s athletic program of the season. The winner is determined by accumulating points in a combination of NCAA championship wins and major poll finishes. Four women’s sports programs at UNC โ€“ field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and tennis […]
Erin Matson Named to Forbes' '30 Under 30 Sports' List for 2025
UNC field hockey head coach Erin Matson has been named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Sports” List for 2025, honoring young stars around the world who are “fearlessly leading sports into the future,” according to the magazine. “Honored to be alongside such inspirational barrier breakers,” Matson said on social media. “Proud to represent Carolina and […]
Saint Joseph's Upsets No. 1 UNC Field Hockey in NCAA Semifinals
Saint Joseph's snapped No. 1 UNC's 27-game winning streak and ended the Tar Heels' bid for a third straight national championship.
UNC Field Hockey Shuts Out Duke, Advances to 28th Final Four
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. Final Four here we come!!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/cycFgXBFdV — UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) November 17, 2024 Ryleigh […]
UNC Field Hockey Cruises Past Delaware in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
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. Took care of business in round 1๏ธโƒฃ#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/8s9vvXHaEI — UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) November 15, 2024 Katie Dixon, […]
›