Field Hockey DIVISION I Highlights Tar Heels Claim NCAA Crown: The North Carolina field hockey team got just what longtime coach Karen Shelton wanted November 22 against unbeaten Maryland in the Division I championship game: a tight, defensive struggle and a chance to win it at the end. Third-seeded North Carolina forced a penalty corner late in the second half, let the clock wind down and won the national championship, 3-2, when senior Danielle Forword of South Africa whacked a low, hard ball past goalkeeper Alicia Grater with only 11 seconds left. All of the goals were scored in a wild second period. A desperate, second-half gamble by Shelton and stifling defense on Maryland star Katie O’Donnell enabled the Tar Heels (20-2) to leave Wake Forest’s Kentner Stadium with their sixth NCAA title. The Terrapins, who dominated play for much of the day, finished 23-1. That left Shelton feeling a tad guilty. “It may have been a bit of an injustice that we were able to steal the game,” said Shelton, who completed her 29th season at North Carolina. “... What a great year for Maryland, and I’m sorry.” Before the final, Shelton had said her defense and all-tournament goalie Jackie Kintzer would have to keep North Carolina in the game against a team that outscored three op- ponents by a combined 18-6 on the way to the final. Kintzer and North Carolina’s back line did just that, keeping the game scoreless in the first half despite being outshot 8-1. Maryland coach Missy Meharg described Kintzer’s first-half play as “phenomenal.” North Carolina sophomore Meghan Dawson drew the assignment of covering O’Donnell, the three-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, who set a semifinal record with nine points (three goals and three assists) in the Terps’ 7-5 victory over Princeton on November 20. With help from teammate Melanie Brill, Dawson “stuck to me like glue,” O’Donnell said after being held without a shot on goal November 22. “My game plan was to just hang around the cover, try and take out two different people and see if we could get the ball to Nicole (Muracco) and Megan (Frazer) up front,” O’Donnell added. Actually, the plan worked — to a point. Frazer, a freshman from Derry, Northern Ireland, took advantage of a rare defensive breakdown by the Heels, finding Muracco alone with a long upfield pass in the second half. Muracco, who led Maryland in goals, broke free on the right side, saw the left side of the net open and beat Kintzer with a low, hard shot to make it 1-0 with 28 minutes left. So infrequent were North Carolina’s scoring chances that it looked as if the one goal might even hold up. But Alexis Pappas was sent off with a yellow card for an illegal tackle, giving North Carolina a one-player advantage. The Heels made the most of it, tying the score 1-1 on the first of Forword’s two goals. “It was a huge impact. It really shifted the energy,” Meharg said of the yellow card. “Even subsequent to (Pappas’) return, we lacked some structure and discipline and sort of ran around a bit. I think the foul was just a tangle. I think she and the same player had tangled before, and she was warned. “I’m not so sure it was a wrong call. The officials do what they can to keep the game safe.” The tie lasted about a minute and a half. The Terrapins quickly moved the ball to the other end and forced a penalty corner. Off O’Donnell’s pass, Emma Thomas didn’t get full wood on her shot. The ball rolled to Frazer, who put it away for a 2-1 Maryland lead. Deciding it was time to gamble, Shelton called timeout and pulled her goalkeeper to give North Carolina a two-player advantage. “I’d rather go out in a blaze than just not do anything,” Shelton said. The Terps weathered the disadvantage long enough — 1:49 — for Pappas to return. Kintzer, however, was kept on the sideline for 3:08 — just long enough for Illse Davids, also from South Africa, to get open on the left side and get off a high backhander that made it 2-2 with 4:45 left. That set the stage for the penalty corner with less than a minute left. The Tar Heels let the clock run down more than 30 seconds before Caitlin Van Sickle put the ball in play to Katelyn Falgowski, who moved it to Forword. “Mel Brill on my left just kept repeating, ‘I believe in you, I believe in you, I believe in you,’ even when (the Maryland defenders) were rushing out and just before I took that shot,” Forword said. “There’s nothing like knowing your teammates really need this and they do believe in you. I don’t know what it was that came over me, but it went in.” SEMIFINALS SCORING SUMMARY 2009 RESULTS NOVEMBER 20 AT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. 22:59 NC Danielle Forword (15) (Katelyn Falgowski) Maryland 7, Princeton 5 47:03 V Traci Ragukas (10) (unassisted) Goals by period 1 2 Total 50:44 NC Taryn Gjurich (1) (Falgowski) FIRST ROUND Princeton .................................................................. 1 4 5 53:24 NC Elizabeth Drazdowski (6) (Kelsey Maryland 6, American 1 Maryland .................................................................. 3 4 7 Kolojejchick) Drexel 3, Connecticut 2 59:23 V Paige Selenski (27) (Inga Stockel) Syracuse 6, Boston College 2 SCORING SUMMARY Shots: North Carolina 12, Virginia 11. Princeton 4, Stanford 0 7:29 P Michelle Cesan (14) (Katie Reinprecht) Saves: North Carolina 5 (Jackie Kintzer 5), Virginia 5 (Kim North Carolina 4, Ohio St. 1 13:36 MD Emma Thomas (23) (Katie O’Donnell, Alexis Kastuk 5). Wake Forest 2, Indiana 0 Pappas) Penalty Corners: North Carolina 7, Virginia 8. Michigan St. 7, Delaware 0 18:50 MD Emma Thomas (24) (Pappas, O’Donnell) Attendance: 616. Virginia 3, Richmond 0 23:46 MD O’Donnell (26) (unassisted) 36:24 MD O’Donnell (27) (unassisted) 37:14 P Kaitlin Donovan (7) (Cesan) CHAMPIONSHIP SECOND ROUND NOVEMBER 22 AT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Maryland 5, Drexel 0 47:16 P Reinprecht (16) (unassisted) Princeton 7, Syracuse 3 52:10 P Reinprecht (17) (unassisted) North Carolina 3, Maryland 2 North Carolina 4, Wake Forest 1 56:48 MD Megan Frazer (15) (unassisted) Goals by period 1 2 Total Virginia 3, Michigan St. 2 (ot) 62:30 MD Ameliet Rischen (6) (O’Donnell) North Carolina ........................................................ 0 3 3 66:26 MD O’Donnell (28) (unassisted) Maryland .................................................................. 0 2 2 68:54 P Kathleen Sharkey (20) (unassisted) SCORING SUMMARY Shots: Princeton 16, Maryland 19. 42:02 MD Nicole Muracco (31) (unassisted) Saves: Princeton 3 (Jennifer King 3), Maryland 6 (Alicia Grater 60:37 NC Danielle Forword (16) (unassisted) 6). 62:11 MD Megan Frazer (16) (unassisted) Penalty Corners: Princeton 10, Maryland 13. 65:15 NC Illse Davids (8) (Katelyn Falgowski) Attendance: 616. 69:49 NC Forword (17) (Caitlin Van Sickle, Falgowski) North Carolina 3, Virginia 2 Shots: North Carolina 10, Maryland 11. Goals by period 1 2 Total Saves: North Carolina 5 (Jackie Kintzer 5), Maryland 6 (Alicia North Carolina ........................................................ 1 2 3 Grater 6). Virginia ....................................................................... 0 2 2 Penalty Corners: North Carolina 7, Maryland 5. Attendance: 677. 2 DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP History Team Results Year Champion (Record) Coach Score Runner-Up Host or Site 1981 ................... Connecticut (15-2-3) Diane Wright 4-1 Massachusetts Connecticut 1982 ................... Old Dominion (20-1) Beth Anders 3-2 Connecticut Temple 1983 ................... Old Dominion (19-1) Beth Anders 3-1 (3 ot) Connecticut Penn 1984 ................... Old Dominion (23-0) Beth Anders 5-1 Iowa Springfield 1985 ................... Connecticut (19-2) Diane Wright 3-2 Old Dominion Old Dominion 1986 ................... Iowa (19-2-1) Judith Davidson 2-1 (2 ot) New Hampshire Old Dominion 1987 ................... Maryland (18-4-1) Sue Tyler 2-1 (ot) North Carolina North Carolina 1988 ................... Old Dominion (26-1) Beth Anders 2-1 Iowa Penn 1989 ................... North Carolina (20-2) Karen Shelton 2-1 (3 ot)* Old Dominion Springfield 1990 ................... Old Dominion (23-2-1) Beth Anders 5-0 North Carolina Rutgers 1991 ................... Old Dominion (26-0) Beth Anders 2-0 North Carolina Villanova 1992 ................... Old Dominion (25-0) Beth Anders 4-0 Iowa VCU 1993 ................... Maryland (21-3) Missy Meharg 2-1 (2 ot)* North Carolina Rutgers 1994 ................... James Madison (20-3-1) Christy Morgan 2-1 (2 ot)* North Carolina Northeastern 1995 ................... North Carolina (24-0) Karen Shelton 5-1 Maryland Wake Forest 1996 ................... North Carolina (23-1) Karen Shelton 3-0 Princeton Boston College 1997 ................... North Carolina (20-3) Karen Shelton 3-2 Old Dominion Connecticut 1998 ................... Old Dominion (23-2) Beth Anders 3-2 Princeton Penn 1999 ................... Maryland (24-1) Missy Meharg 2-1 Michigan Northeastern 2000 ................... Old Dominion (25-1) Beth Anders 3-1 North Carolina Old Dominion 2001 ................... Michigan (18-5) Marcia Pankratz 2-0 Maryland Kent St. 2002 ................... Wake Forest (20-2) Jennifer Averill 2-0 Penn St. Louisville 2003 ................... Wake Forest (22-1) Jennifer Averill 3-1 Duke Massachusetts 2004 ................... Wake Forest (20-3) Jennifer Averill 3-0 Duke Wake Forest 2005 ................... Maryland (23-2) Missy Meharg 1-0 Duke Louisville 2006 ................... Maryland (23-2) Missy Meharg 1-0 Wake Forest Wake Forest 2007 ................... North Carolina (24-0) Karen Shelton 3-0 Penn St. Maryland 2008 ................... Maryland (22-2) Missy Meharg 4-2 Wake Forest Louisville 2009 ................... North Carolina (20-2) Karen Shelton 3-2 Maryland Wake Forest *Penalty strokes.