CHAPEL HILL, NC – The North Carolina field hockey team opens its quest for a second consecutive NCAA crown on Friday, hosting William & Mary for a first-round game at Karen Shelton Stadium.
Game time is noon and tickets are available here or at the gate. UNC students will be admitted free.
Rutgers and Harvard meet at 2:30 pm in the second game of the day in Chapel Hill, and the winners face off Sunday at noon for a spot in the NCAA semifinals, which will also be played in Chapel Hill.
William & Mary (12-8) advanced to face the Tar Heels by beating Sacred Heart 4-0 in an opening round game Wednesday in Chapel Hill.
Carolina, the top seed in the field and the top ranked team in this week’s coaches’ poll, has been idle for a week since winning the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in Charlottesville, Va., last Friday.
The Tar Heels (14-3) are the defending national champions after winning the 2022 crown, the program’s 10Thlast November in Storrs, Conn.
Heels vs. Tribe
• UNC leads the series with William & Mary 26-3-2.
• Carolina and William & Mary are facing off for the first time since the 2019 season, when they played in Chapel Hill and UNC won 8-0.
• They’ve met just once before in NCAA play, the previous season at Karen Shelton Stadium. He Nov. 9, 2018, the Tar Heels won 4-0 in a first-round matchup. On a cool, rainy afternoon in the first-ever NCAA Tournament game played at Shelton Stadium, Erin Matson (then a freshman) opened the scoring with what would be the game winner in a 4-0 victory. The Tar Heels went on to an undefeated season and their first NCAA title since 2009.
• The Tribe advanced out of the opening round with a 4-0 victory over Sacred Heart Wednesday at KSS.
UNC in the NCAA Tourney
• The Tar Heels are making a record 40th appearance in the NCAA Tournament field. Friday’s game will be UNC’s 107th in NCAA Tournament play, also a record.
• The Tar Heels have 77 NCAA Tournament wins, more than any other school. Maryland is second with 68 and Old Dominion is third with 50.
• North Carolina is 77-29 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
• Former Tar Heel coach Karen Shelton holds the record for NCAA titles won by a single coach with 10.
