Aug. 30, 2008

No. 1 UNC Opens Season With 6-0 Shutout Of Michigan

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Junior Danielle Forword scored a career-best four goals Saturday as the top-ranked North Carolina field hockey team opened the 2008 season with a 6-0 win over No. 9 Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, played at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium. Senior Britt van Beek added a goal on a penalty stroke and redshirt freshman Elizabeth Stephens chipped in the first of her career as the Tar Heels kicked off the season with a victory over the Wolverines for the sixth-straight year.

Forword, a forward from East London, South Africa, scored 100 seconds into the game on an assist from freshman Taryn Gjurich. Forward added another goal, this one on a rebound following a save, at the 5:51 mark. After van Beek's stroke, Forword added another goal to put UNC up 4-0 at halftime. Forward's fourth goal came in the 41st minute of play, on a reverse-stick shot in the open field. Stephens, a forward from St. Louis who was seeing her first collegiate action, scored in the 51st minute on a rebound.

No. 3 Deacons Top No. 5 Iowa 3-2

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After giving up two goals to fifth-ranked Iowa, Wake Forest fired back with three consecutive goals in the second half to take a 3-2 victory over the Hawkeyes to kickoff the 2008 season.

After 20 minutes of scoreless play, Iowa's Caitlin McCurdy fired two shots in a row in the center of the circle and converted on the second shot to put Iowa up 1-0. Ten minutes later, Iowa would score for the final time when Caroline Blaum grabbed a ricocheted shot from Lauren Pfieffer and fired it back into the WF goal.

Duke Field Hockey Drops Season-Opener to No. 17 Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 12 Duke field hockey team lost its season-opener Saturday afternoon, falling 1-0 to the host No. 17 Louisville Cardinals in game one of the Champions Challenge tournament at Trager Stadium.

The teams battled evenly throughout the contest and were scoreless at halftime, before preseason All-BIG EAST selection Nicole Youman got Louisville on the board first with a goal five minutes into the second half. Youman’s score came off a penalty corner and was the eventual game-winner.