Sept. 14, 2008
Final Stats
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The North Carolina field hockey team closed out a weekend of play at the Vonnie Gros Classic without allowing a goal, beating host West Chester 3-0 Sunday afternoon in the final game of the event. Illse Davids and Danielle Forword, both juniors from South Africa, combined for all three Tar Heel goals as UNC improved to 4-2 on the year. The Golden Rams fell to 3-2 after going 1-1 at their event.
Carolina beat No. 11 Penn State 4-0 in Saturday's game at West Chester. The Tar Heels have earned shutouts in all four of their wins this year.
In record-high temperatures that hit 94 degrees, the game was scoreless until the 28th minute, when Forword scored from 12 yards out on a pass from Davids. After a 1-0 score at halftime, UNC got its second goal at the 39:41 mark, when Davids sent a penalty stroke past West Chester goalkeeper Joelle Zarefoss, who made 19 saves on the day. Carolina's final goal came just over three minutes later, when Forword put in another score, assisted by Davids.
"West Chester played well," said UNC coach Karen Shelton, a WCU alum. "They had a good gameplan and their goalkeeper played great. I thought we played well, but we had trouble scoring."
UNC finished the game with 29 shots and 12 penalty corners. The Golden Rams did not have a shot or a corner.
With nine Pennsylvania players on the Tar Heel roster and several others from neighboring states, the weekend provided a homecoming for much of the team and also an opportunity for many alums to watch Carolina play. "It was a wonderful weekend," Shelton said. "We were able to recognize Vonnie Gros, who was my college coach and Olympic team coach. We had five of our six 2008 Olympians there - Kate Barber, Rachel Dawson, Katelyn Falgowski, Jesse Gey and Carrie Lingo - and we recognized them at our tailgate. We got the chance to see lots of alums and their families. Overall, it was a great weekend."
Next up for the Tar Heels is a pair of home games at Henry Stadium. They host Old Dominion Friday for a 6 p.m. contest then take on Radford Sunday at 1.
No. 3 North Carolina 3, West Chester 0
Scoring: UNC - Danielle Forword (Illse Davids), 27:13; UNC - Davids (penalty stroke), 39:41; UNC - Forword (Davids), 43:00
Shots: UNC 29, WCU 0
Penalty corners: UNC 12, WCU 0
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 0 (Brianna O'Donnell); WCU 19 (Joelle Zarefoss)
Records: UNC 4-2, West Chester 3-2
UNC starters: Illse Davids, Riley Foster, Charlotte Verstraten, Taryn Gjurich, Melanie Brill, Kate Scholl, Britt van Beek, Elizabeth Drazdowski, Danielle Forword, Katelyn Falgowski, Brianna O'Donnell
UNC substitutes: Teryn Brill, Elizabeth Stephens, Jen Slocum, Casey Burns, Louise McNutt,
