For the 11th consecutive season, the top-ranked UNC field hockey team will play in the Final Four.

Head coach Karen Shelton’s squad defeated No. 6 Iowa 2-1 during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals in Chapel Hill at the new on-campus stadium named after her, extending the program’s win streak to 44 games overall dating back to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa (17-5) struck first early in the second quarter with a deflection goal by Sofie Stribos coming off of a penalty corner, but UNC (21-0) responded shortly after when Erin Matson also scored from a penalty corner.

Senior Feline Guenther delivered the game-winning goal for the Tar Heels just 26 seconds into the fourth quarter.

For Shelton, this marks her 24th career Final Four appearance as a head coach–the most in NCAA history.

 “I’m exceedingly proud of our team,” Shelton said afterwards. “We played an Iowa team that was very well-coached, hard-working, balanced. They were probably the best team we’ve played all year. They put a lot of pressure on us – a lot of mid-field battle, not many corners, not many shots by either team, but we found a way at the end.”

Up Next:

In a rematch of last week’s ACC Championship Game, the Tar Heels will face Boston College in the NCAA Semifinals on Friday.
 

 

 

Photo via Dakota Moyer

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