UNC field hockey powers past Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship

SYRACUSE, NY — With their backs against the wall and things looking very bleak down the stretch, the UNC field hockey team was able to persevere and come up with a scrappy overtime win against Wake Forest. The much needed win against Wake Forest kept Carolina’s ACC Championship hopes alive and well as they moved onto the ACC Championship semifinals. The last time the Tar Heels didn’t win the ACC Championship was 2016 when the Virginia Cavaliers defeated Carolina 4-2 to win their first ever ACC Championship.

UNC found themselves down by a goal in two different incidents against Wake Forest. UNC captain Erin Matson scored both of the team’s equalizing goals in regulation to force an overtime period. Matson’s magic didn’t stop there as she found her vice captain Cassie Sumfest on a penalty corner who scored a sensational game winner.

Thursday’s ACC tournament opener vs. Wake Forest marked the 14th time that the Tar Heels and the Demon Deacons have met in conference tournament play. The last time the two teams crossed paths in the ACC Championship, it was in 2018 when they met in the tournament final at Chapel Hill; Carolina won the title game 7-2 against Wake Forest to complete the back-to-back for the ACC Championship.

Something that can’t be overlooked is what took place with less than a minute left in regulation as the game was nearing an inevitable overtime. In what came as a shock to the game’s ACCN broadcasters, the UNC bench was shown a red card for what was presumed to be misconduct directed toward both of the referees. As a result, as per NCAA field hockey rules, acclaimed Carolina head coach Karen Shelton had to accept the red card herself and had to leave the field. Not only did Shelton miss the game’s decisive overtime period, but she is required to sit out the semifinal game on Friday, when associate head coach Grant Fulton will take over the team’s coaching duties.

This was the third overtime game in a row for the Tar Heels dating back to two weeks ago when Carolina lost to Louisville 3-2 at home on a last second goal, and then a week ago when Carolina defeated Virginia 3-2 in Charlottesville. Matson was out with a hand injury in the game against Louisville; however, in the last two victories for the Tar Heels, Matson has scored five out of six goals and assisted the one goal she didn’t score, which was the game winner Sumfest against Wake Forest. In other words, Matson’s return to the turf has been nothing but apparent.

The No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels will now play the No. 2 Syracuse Orange in the semifinals of the ACC Championship on Friday. This game will mark the fifth time that the Tar Heels and Orange have met in conference tournament play. Their last meeting in the tournament was a year ago under very similar circumstances: a semifinal game with the tourney’s No. 3 and No. 2 seeded teams. Except at that time, the Tar Heels were seeded No. 2 and the Orange were seeded No. 3. Additionally, last year’s game was in Chapel Hill and the Tar Heels had a home field advantage. However, the tables have now turned as this year’s semifinal will be in Syracuse giving the Orange a home field advantage. The last time UNC played Syracuse, it wasn’t pretty for the Tar Heels. Syracuse shut out Carolina in a 5-0 win about a month ago on the same field that the two teams will be having their rematch.