Despite dropping its season opener to Michigan last weekend, the top-ranked UNC field hockey team has responded about as well as it possibly could.

The Tar Heels pulled out their third consecutive win on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Penn, which was also the team’s third straight win on the road.

Freshman Meredith Sholder tipped in a pass from teammate Marissa Creatore in the 19th minute to open up scoring for UNC. Then, just 21 seconds later, the Tar Heels added another tally when Creatore’s shot from the top of the arc beat Penn goalie Liz Mata.

UNC (3-1) made it 3-0 before halftime when Megan Duvernois gathered her own rebound and drove it home in the 32nd minute.

In the second half, Penn (0-2) outshot the Tar Heels by a margin of 4-3–and scored its only goal of the game in the 56th minute on a penalty corner from Rachel Huang.

Still, though, the damage was already done. UNC held tight the rest of the way en route to another solid victory.

“I liked our intensity in the first half,” Tar Heel head coach Karen Shelton said afterwards. “We moved the ball well at times. We’re still growing as a team.

“We didn’t handle certain situations well, but this team is really trying hard,” she added. “We didn’t play a full game today, but I love their energy and excitement.”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will now get ready for their ACC opener this Friday at Wake Forest.

 

 

Photo via Jeffrey A. Camarati (UNC Athletics)
 

Related Stories
‹
No. 1 UNC Field Hockey Cruises to 6-0 Shutout Over Penn
Just two days after a thrilling comeback victory over No. 5 Princeton, the top-ranked UNC field hockey team took care of business easily against Penn on Sunday in Chapel Hill–picking up a 6-0 shutout victory over the Quakers. The six goals were the most the team has scored this season, while the Tar Heel defense […]
Catherine Hayden, Ashley Hoffman Lead UNC Field Hockey to 8-0 Blowout Win Over Penn
Make it four straight victories to begin the 2018 season for the second-ranked UNC field hockey team, which used three goals from Catherine Hayden–and two more from Ashley Hoffman–on Sunday to score an 8-0 blowout victory in Philadelphia over the Penn Quakers. The eight goals scored by the Tar Heels (4-0) matched their total from […]
Erin Matson Wins Second Consecutive Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey
UNC junior forward Erin Matson earned her second consecutive Honda Sport Award for field hockey on Wednesday, an honor which recognizes the top women’s athletes in the country across 12 different NCAA sports. Matson led the Tar Heels to their third consecutive national championship last month, scoring the overtime game-winner against Michigan in the title […]
UNC Field Hockey Earns Top Overall Seed for NCAA Tournament
The UNC field hockey team once again finds itself in a familiar place, as the Tar Heels were named the top overall seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. This year’s tournament will feature just 12 teams due to the pandemic, which also forced the event to be played […]
Matson Earns Third Straight ACC Field Hockey Player of the Year Award
For the third consecutive season, the ACC selected UNC junior forward Erin Matson as the ACC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Year. Announced as the winner on Thursday, Matson led the ACC this season with 56 points, scoring 24 goals and dishing out eight assists. She becomes the just the second field hockey athlete […]
No. 1 UNC Field Hockey Earns OT Road Victory at No. 12 Virginia
Erin Matson scored all three of UNC’s goals on Friday in Charlottesville, including the game-winner in overtime, as the top-ranked Tar Heel field hockey team dispatched No. 12 Virginia 3-2. Each of Matson’s first two goals came during the second quarter, giving UNC (14-1, 4-0 ACC) a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. Virginia (6-11, 1-4 […]
No. 1 UNC Field Hockey Downs No. 15 Duke in Double Overtime on Senior Day
Bryn Boylan scored on a penalty stroke in the second overtime on Friday at Karen Shelton Stadium, giving the top-ranked UNC field hockey team a 4-3 Senior Day victory over the No. 15 Duke Blue Devils. This was the third meeting of the season between the Tar Heels (13-1) and Blue Devils (3-11), and the […]
UNC Field Hockey Blanks Wake Forest for Second Spring Shutout
Erin Matson scored twice on Saturday in Winston-Salem, guiding the UNC field hockey team to a 2-0 victory over Wake Forest. This marks the second consecutive 2-0 win for the Tar Heels (11-1) to begin the spring season, after dispatching Louisville by the same score last weekend. Each of Matson’s goals came within the first […]
Field Hockey: UNC Begins Spring Season With Shutout Win Over Louisville
Erin Matson scored twice on Friday at Karen Shelton Stadium to lead the UNC field hockey team to a 2-0 victory over Louisville in the first game of the spring season. Senior Amanda Hendry made eight saves to complete the shutout in goal, as the Tar Heels picked up right where they left off in […]
UNC to Host 2020 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament
The NCAA announced Wednesday that UNC’s Karen Shelton Stadium will be the host of the 2020 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament, which is set to take place in May of 2021. Old Dominion University was the originally scheduled host of the event, but was unable to do so once the event was delayed from fall to […]
›