Berkeley, Calif. – The 20th-ranked California field hockey team (6-3) fell to the defending champions and top-ranked team in the nation, North Carolina, 3-1, on Sunday at Underhill Field in Berkeley, Calif.
“It’s always nice to be an underdog,” Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead said. “The big push this morning was to go on attack. That got our energy going. We played with much better energy and off-ball movement. We started believing in ourselves and that’s what I needed to happen today.”
In a tightly contested matchup throughout the opening period, neither team could find the back of the net. The Tar Heels totaled eight shots and six corners in the frame, while the Golden Bears attempted two shots.
North Carolina got on the scoreboard first after draining a goal halfway through the second period to take the 1-0 lead into halftime. The Bears continued to battle after totaling three saves in the frame despite conceding a goal.
The Tar Heels extended its lead to 2-0 in the third quarter after Charly Bruder tallied her second goal of the afternoon at the 7:58 mark. The Bear responded after sophomore Holly Pears drained her fourth goal of the season late in the frame to cut its deficit to 2-1. Graduate student Canisha van Duyn and senior Sydney Decher assisted on the play.
Cal attempted to make a final push in the fourth period to even the score en route to attempting four shots in the frame. North Carolina pulled away after draining a goal late in the game to seal the 3-1 victory.
Cal will hit the road to face off…
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