NCAA Field Hockey

Tar Heels Back in NCAA Field Hockey Final Four

Tar Heels Back in NCAA Field Hockey Final Four


GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – After a year’s absence, North Carolina is back in the final four of the NCAA Division I Women’s Field Hockey Championship.

Five-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year Erin Matson delivered a hat trick as the top-ranked and unbeaten Tar Heels defeated Saint Joseph’s 5-2 in Sunday’s national quarterfinal match in Chapel Hill.

UNC (19-0) heads to its NCAA-leading 26th national semifinal under veteran head coach Karen Shelton and will resume its quest for a record 10th NCAA title Friday afternoon in Storrs, Connecticut. UNC is currently tied with Old Dominion for the most D-I Field Hockey title in NCAA history with nine.

The Atlantic Coast Conference came excruciatingly close to placing two teams among this year’s final four, but No. 8 Syracuse (16-6) dropped a 3-2 decision at No. 2 Maryland (19-3) in a quarterfinal that was decided via golden pairs after remaining deadlocked at the end of regulation, two overtimes and the initial shootout period.

The ACC has now placed at least one team among the NCAA Women’s Field Hockey final four for the 33rd time in the last 34 years. ACC field hockey teams have won 21 NCAA championships, including 14 of the last 20.

Forty-four of the last 80 teams to reach the national semifinals have been ACC teams.

The complete 2022 NCAA Field Hockey Championship bracket can be found here.

Matson, the most decorated player in program history, had her 13th career hat trick in her final game on the Karen Shelton Stadium turf to lead UNC past the No. 9 Eagles (16-5).
 
Paityn Wirth and Ashley Sessa each added a goal for the Tar Heels, and Wirth had two assists. UNC held a 19-5 edge in shots and didn’t give up a shot in the first half.
 
The Tar Heels will take on Penn State (17-3)in the NCAA semifinals on Friday at noon. No. 2 Maryland faces third-ranked defending national champion Northwestern (19-4) on Friday at 3 p.m. The winners will meet next Sunday (Nov. 20) at 1:30 p.m. for the national title.
 
UNC, which won three consecutive national titles from 2018-20, is competing in the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in five years. The Tar Heels’ 39 NCAA postseason appearances are the most of any program.

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