CHAPEL HILL (theACC.com) – North Carolina spotted top-seeded Louisville an early two-goal lead, but the Tar Heels refused to relinquish the ACC Field Hockey Championship trophy.
Bryn Boylan and Madison Orobono delivered the tying and go-ahead goals in the third quarter, and tournament MVP Erin Matson scored twice as the second-seeded Tar Heels battled back for a 4-2 win in the Championship finals held Sunday, Nov. 8.
UNC (10-1) claimed its fourth consecutive tournament title and the 23rd under Hall of Fame coach Karen Shelton, who had become the winningest coach in NCAA history with Friday night’s semifinal victory over Syracuse. Sunday’s win was her 702nd at the Tar Heel helm.
The Tar Heels also avenged their only loss over the past three seasons. Louisville (8-2) had finished atop the ACC standings with the help of a 3-1 win over UNC on Oct. 2 that snapped the Tar Heels’ ACC-record 47-match winning streak.
Two goals by Katie Schneider in the first 19 minutes of the match staked the Cardinals to a 2-0 lead on Sunday. Three of the four goals Schneider scored during the fall season came in Louisville’s two ACC Championship matches.
Matson scored on a penalty corner off assists from Abby Pitcairn and Romea Riccardo with 7:15 remaining in the opening half to trim Louisville’s lead to 2-1 before the break.
The Tar Heels forged ahead in the final 6 ½ minutes of the third period. Boylan’s goal off a pass from Riccardo knotted the score at 2-2. With 1:40 left in the quarter, Hannah Griggs fed Orobono for her second goal of the season and the tournament to push UNC in front 3-2.
The Cardinals had several opportunities in the final quarter, but Orobono’s goal wound up standing as the game-winner. Matson’s second goal of the match – which came after Louisville had pulled its keeper from the net – clinched the outcome with 1:01 showing on the game clock.
Matson’s two goals on Sunday pushed her ACC-leading total for the season to 13. Matson scored four goals in three ACC Championship games.
"Congratulations to Louisville for such a fantastic season," Shelton told GoHeels.com. "They play with such composure and poise, and that makes them a very difficult team to play against. They dominated in the first half and we gave up a couple of goals, but we didn't crack. It was a tale of two halves – they had the better of the first and I think we had the better of the second.
"I'm thrilled that our kids were able to find a way to win."
Two-time defending NCAA champion UNC, Louisville and the ACC’s other five perennially strong programs must now wait to resume competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumpition of play with a spring season for all Division I teams has been rescheduled to begin in March, with NCAA tournament competition slated for early May.
2020 ACC Championship All-Tournament Team
Aimee Plumb, Louisville
Mercedes Pastor, Louisville
Julie Kouijzer, Louisville
Bryn Boylan, North Carolina
Amanda Hendry, North Carolina
Erin Matson, North Carolina
Paityn Wirth, North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, Syracuse
Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, Syracuse
Adele Iacobucci, Virginia
Laura Janssen, Virginia
MVP – Erin Matson, North Carolina