NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 19 Old Dominion field hockey team (9-6, 5-1 BIG EAST) was defeated by No. 1 North Carolina (16-0, 6-0 ACC), 1-0 on the road on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a tough battle out there and we fought together and played together as a unit for most of the game,” head coach Andrew Griffiths said after the game. “We created some excellent scoring opportunities and had a number of quality chances, we just couldn’t get the final touch. In the end, I’m disappointed we didn’t get a result.”
UNC broke through and scored the only goal of the match in the 41st minute of play, as Tar Heel senior Megan DuVernois beat Monarch goalkeeper Cam MacGillivray for her sixth goal of the season.
The undefeated Tar Heels extend their win streak to 39 games, but the Monarchs are the only team this season to hold the potent UNC offense to only one goal.
Both teams had a chance to crack the scoreboard late in the first half, as UNC had two penalty corner opportunities in the final minutes of the half, but MacGillivray earned saves on both of the shots that came as a result.
In the 28th minute, senior Rebecca Birch was given a penalty stroke after getting fouled in front of the Tar Heel goal, but the attempt went wide. As a result, both teams went into the halftime locker rooms in a scoreless tie.
At the intermission, the Monarchs held a 6-4 shot advantage, while the Tar Heels had three penalty corners to ODU’s two. Alex Haplin corralled five saves for UNC, while MacGillivray was forced to stop two in the first 30 minutes.
Halfway through the third quarter, the Tar Heels had three penalty corners within one minute, but the ODU defense kept them off the board, as one shot was blocked and the other two were saved by MacGillivray. Shortly after that sequence, DuVernois scored the deciding goal to give UNC the lead.
Birch led the Monarchs with five shots, while MacGillivray stopped six shots in goal. Freshman Nicole Fredricks earned a defensive save in the effort.
Overall, UNC held an 8-4 penalty corner advantage and an 11-10 shot advantage over Old Dominion.
“I’m proud that we played with confidence and an attacking mindset, and we kept attacking all the way through until the end,” Griffiths went on to say. “Our fourth quarter was strong and we showed a lot of character.”
The Monarchs’ next game will be their regular season finale, as the team will travel up to Philadelphia to take on Villanova in a BIG EAST showdown. The game will take place on Friday, November 1 at 4:00 p.m.