GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina and Boston College each claimed two Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey season honors and highlight the 2019 All-ACC Team announced on Wednesday.
Unbeaten and top-ranked UNC saw sophomore forward Erin Matson earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, while senior teammate Yentl Leemans was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Boston College’s Margo Carlin received the nod as ACC Freshman of the Year, while the Eagles’ Kelly Doton was recognized as the ACC Coach of the Year.
ACC season awards, as well as the All-ACC team, were determined by a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
UNC’s Matson enters this week’s ACC Field Hockey Championship leading the nation in points per game (4.07), goals per game (1.57) and assists per contest (.93). The Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, native garnered three NFHCHA Division I Offensive Player of the Week honors and was recognized as the ACC Offensive Player of the Week five times during the regular season.
Leemans has been a main contributor to a Tar Heel defense that leads the ACC in fewest goals allowed per game (1.00) and has posted six shutouts. With 13 assists in 16 games, the midfielder from the Netherlands ranks second in the ACC behind Matson and sixth nationally in assists per contest (0.81).
Boston College’s Carlin ranks fourth in the nation and leads all freshman in goals per game (1.00) and is sixth nationally among all players in total points per contest (2.29). The Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, native is second in the ACC behind Matson in each of those categories and ranks ninth in the ACC in assists per game (0.29).
Doton becomes the ACC Field Hockey Coach of the Year from Boston College after leading the Eagles to a No. 2 seed in the ACC Championship and a No. 9 national ranking. Boston College (11-6) heads into postseason play as one of the nation’s hottest teams with seven wins in its last eight games. The Eagles own five wins over fellow ranked teams, including a pair of wins over teams currently ranked among the nation’s top five. BC’s four wins in ACC play are its most since joining the conference in 2005.
Matson, Leemans and Carlin were all voted All-ACC first team. North Carolina and Duke lead the way with five players each selected to the first or second teams. Four players were selected from Louisville, and three each from Boston College and Virginia. Each of the ACC’s seven teams had at least one player chosen.
Each conference team is also ranked among the nation’s top 25 entering the 2019 ACC Field Hockey Championship, which gets underway Thursday in Newton, Massachusetts. Following defending NCAA and ACC champion North Carolina at No. 1 are No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Louisville and No. 9 Boston College. Syracuse is at No. 12, while Wake Forest is ranked No. 21.
2019 All-ACC Field Hockey
First Team
Margo Carlin, Fr., F, Boston College
Fusine Govaert, Jr., M, Boston College
Margaux Paolino, Sr., M, Duke
Haley Schleicher, Sr., M, Duke
Sammi Steele, Gr., GK, Duke
Jillian Wolgemuth, Sr., B, Duke
Mercedes Pastor, Jr., M, Louisville
Yentl Leemans, Sr., M, North Carolina
Erin Matson, So., F, North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, Fr., F, Syracuse
Carolin Hoffmann, Jr., M, Syracuse
Rachel Robinson, Jr., B, Virginia
Second Team
Sky Caron, So., B, Boston College
Leah Crouse, So., F, Duke
Carter Ayars, Sr., B, Louisville
Alli Bitting, Jr., M, Louisville
Bethany Russ, Sr., F, Louisville
Melissa Creatore, Sr., F, North Carolina
Catherine Hayden, Sr., F, North Carolina
Amanda Hendry, Jr., GK, North Carolina
Amber Ezechiels, So., B, Virginia
Anzel Viljoen, Sr., B, Virginia
Anne van Hoof, Jr., B, Wake Forest
Offensive Player of the Year
Erin Matson, So., F, North Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year
Yentl Leemans, Sr., M, North Carolina
Freshman of the Year
Margo Carlin, Fr., F, Boston College
Coach of the Year
Kelly Doton, Boston College
