Delaware Concludes Season in First Round of NCAA Tournament Against No.1 North Carolina
Hunter Peters
BOX SCORE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Nov. 11, 2022) – North Carolina showed why they are the undisputed favorite to claim the 2022 NCAA Field Hockey National Championship in the first round as the Tar Heels defeated CAA Champion Delaware 5-1 on Friday afternoon.
Top-seeded North Carolina improves to 18-0 this season and advances to face the winner of Saint Joseph’s and Wake Forest on Sunday, November 13. Delaware finishes the season 10-12 with the setback after winning its fourth straight CAA Championship this fall.
North Carolina scored five goals in the first half, including three in the second quarter, for an offensive display that would not be matched by the Blue Hens.
Delaware trailed by one goal entering the second quarter, but North Carolina tallied three goals in four-minute span to take firm control of the contest and never looked back. Ryleigh Heck, the ACC Rookie of the Year, started the run in the 20th minute by scoring her 17th goal this season. In the 23rd minute, Ashley Sessa snuck one past the keeper to extend North Carolina’s lead to 4-1, and 60 seconds later, Lisa Slinkert tacked on the fifth goal in the first half.
The Tar Heels took the advantage into halftime, and the final 36 minutes of the contest would remain scoreless.
An eventful first 15 minutes saw the Blue Hens grab an early lead as Berber Bakermans set up a penalty corner opportunity 11 seconds into the match, and Julia Duffhuis converted the score. It marked the fourth straight match for Duffhuis with a goal, who had six in four postseason games. The Tar Heels responded in the seventh minute as Kennedy Cliggett tallied the equalizer before recording her second goal in the 11th minute to give North Carolina the lead.
Lizzie Gaebel had a valiant effort in the cage as the graduate student recorded a career-high 15 saves in the contest.
It is just the second match all season that North Carolina has trailed in, but after surrendering the opening goal the Tar Heels held Delaware scoreless for the final 59 minutes and 49 seconds in the contest. Additionally, North Carolina held advantages in shots (28-6), shots on goal (20-3) and penalty corners (13-2).
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