Nov. 14, 2009

Four ACC Teams Claim Spots in NCAA Field Hockey Second Round
ACC occupies half of the second-round field

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey teams—Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest—advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship with wins this afternoon. Half of the eight teams that remain from the overall field of 16 hail from the ACC.

Top-ranked Maryland (National Field Hockey Coaches Association) earned the top-overall seed in the tournament and defeated American, 6-1, at its Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md. The Terrapins (21-0) advance to the second round of action and will play 10th-ranked Drexel (19-3) tomorrow. Drexel upset fifth-ranked Connecticut, 3-2, earlier today.

Winston-Salem, N.C. featured a pair ACC teams competing in two first-round games today as third-ranked North Carolina (17-2) beat 15th-ranked Ohio State by a 4-1 count at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University. Later, first and second-round host Wake Forest (13-6) shutout 13th-ranked Indiana, 2-0. The Tar Heels and the seventh-ranked Demon Deacons will face off in Sunday’s second-round action.

Tomorrow’s game will be the third match-up between the two in-state foes, with North Carolina taking both meetings earlier this season. The Tar Heels beat Wake Forest in a non-conference game, 4-1, at Francis E. Henry Stadium in Chapel Hill on September 4 in the third game of the season for both teams. In the rematch in Winston-Salem on October 3, North Carolina upended the Deacons, 3-0, in an ACC game.

Virginia was the fourth team to advance to the second round with a 3-0 shutout of Richmond at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va. The Cavaliers will host sixth-ranked Michigan State (18-3), who defeated Delaware, 7-0, this afternoon. Earlier this season, Virginia defeated Michigan State, 3-0, at home on September 20, and fourth-year head coach Michele Madison will be looking for her second win of 2009 against the team she coached from 1993-2005.

Ninth-ranked Boston College (13-7) was defeated by eighth-ranked Syracuse, 6-2, in Princeton, N.J. in the league’s only loss of the day.

The second round of the NCAA Championship has featured at least three teams from the ACC in every season since 1996, and the league will be looking for at least two of its teams to clinch a semifinal-round berth for the seventh consecutive season.

ACC teams have claimed 14 NCAA field hockey championships since 1983, including the last seven in a row, and have competed in every championship game since 1999. Wake Forest (2002-04), Maryland (2005-06, 08), and North Carolina (2007) have combined to win the last seven NCAA field hockey championships.

Terps Top American 6-1 in NCAA Round One

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In the first round the NCAA Tournament, the top-seeded Maryland field hockey team topped the American Eagles 6-1 Saturday afternoon. The Terrapins advanced to the Second Round will take on the winner of the Connecticut/Drexel game, which will be played at 2 p.m. in College Park.

In a day filled with records, junior Katie O'Donnell broke Susie Rowe's single-season points record, which was set at 74 last year. With her two-goal, three-assist performance Saturday, she now has 76 points on the year. She also tied both the Maryland and ACC record for career assists with 71 and she became Maryland's career points leader earlier this year.

With her one goal today, senior Nicole Muracco, who became Maryland's career goals leader earlier this year, also tied the Maryland single-season goal record at 28, also set by Rowe last year.

Virginia Shuts Out Richmond in NCAA Tournament

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The second-ranked and second overall seeded Virginia field hockey team earned its 19th win of the season, defeating Richmond 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at the Turf Field.

The Cavaliers move on to play at 2 p.m. Sunday against Michigan State for the right to move on to the NCAA semifinals.

The team's 19th win tied the school record for the most victories in a season. The Cavaliers previously recorded 19 wins in 1978 and tied it again in 1997.

After the game was tied 0-0 at halftime, Virginia came out in the second half with goals from freshman Tara Puffenberger and seniors Traci Ragukas and Lauren Elstein.

Tar Heels Advance With Win Over Buckeyes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Behind a two-goal performance from senior Danielle Forword, third-ranked North Carolina defeated No. 16 Ohio State 4-1 Saturday afternoon in the first round of NCAA Tournament play at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium. UNC improved to 17-2 with the win, while the Buckeyes saw their season end with a 13-7 mark.

Making their 26th appearance in the NCAA field, the Tar Heels advanced to a second round game on Sunday at 2 p.m. UNC will meet the host Demon Deacons, who beat Indiana 2-0 in the other first round game at Kentner Stadium on Saturday.

Forword, a forward from East London, South Africa, and the team captain, scored the gamewinner in the eighth minute of play, sending a shot over OSU goalkeeper Ally Tunitis for her 12th goal of the year. Freshman Kelsey Kolojejchick assisted on the play.

No. 7 Wake Forest Takes Down No. 13 Indiana in NCAA Sweet 16

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The seventh-ranked Wake Forest field hockey team defeated No. 13 Indiana 2-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Field Hockey Championships on Saturday in Winston-Salem.

Senior Kim Romansky scored in the 12th minute on a penalty corner play, tapping in a cross from Liza Casella. Classmate Hilary Moore scored the other goal of the game with ten minutes remaining, tapping in a shot from Aileen Davis.

The Demon Deacons head into Sunday's contest with a 13-6 record. They will face the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, who took down 16th-ranked Ohio State 4-1 in the earlier match on Saturday.

No. 9 Boston College Falls To No. 8 Syracuse 6-2 In The First Round Of The NCAA Tournament

The Boston College field hockey team lost a hard-fought game to Syracuse 6-2 on a cloudy afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on the campus of Princeton University.

The Eagles will end their 2009 season with a record of 13-7, while the Orange will improve to 18-3 and advance to play Princeton in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.

The loss ends a great year for Boston College as this 2009 squad had several great accomplishments. The Eagles ended the season with 13 wins which is tied for the fourth-most in program history. BC also scored 70 goals on the year which is the most goals scored in a season since 2003.