Duke Falls to Tar Heels in ACC Semifinals, 3-2

Friday, November 4

Winston-Salem, N.C

1:00 PM

Duke University

North Carolina (Semifinals)

Duke Falls to Tar Heels in ACC Semifinals, 3-2

11/4/2016 3:38:00 PM | Field Hockey

Pam Bustin Postgame INT: ACC Semifinals FH vs. UNC: Naughton Fires Second Goal FH vs. UNC: Naughton Scores in Opening Minutes Photo Gallery Season Statistics Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Leading 2-1 with 10 minutes to play, the top-seeded Duke field hockey team was unable to stave off a final North Carolina rally, falling to the Tar Heels by a 3-2 score in Friday's ACC Championship semifinals.

With the loss, the top-ranked Blue Devils (15-3, 5-1 ACC) will now await Sunday's NCAA selection show, slated for 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Duke and the Tar Heels split a pair of regular season meetings, but it was North Carolina who would come away with Friday's victory despite not taking the lead until the final tally at the 64:21 mark. For the day, the Tar Heels held a 22-6 margin in shots and totaled 13 corners to just five by the Blue Devils.

The scoring started early as the teams combined for a pair of goals inside the first two minutes. Graduate student Aisling Naughton put Duke in front at the 1:05 mark on a feed from rookie midfielder Margaux Paolino. However, the Blue Devils would not hold the lead for long, as North Carolina's Ashley Hoffman evened the match 54 seconds later with a drive into the scoring circle.

“The energy for both teams was just super high and we were able to capitalize on a good run in the very beginning and finish with it,” said head coach Pam Bustin. “Disappointed that we didn't lock in and expect the same, but credit for North Carolina, coming back and starting the game over again essentially.”

Play went back and forth over the 50 with both teams drawing corner opportunities. Duke's defense weathered four more shots by the Tar Heels, with redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sammi Steele notching two saves to keep the score 1-1 heading into the intermission.

Steele opened the second half with two stops on North Carolina corner plays. Following a corner attempt for the Blue Devils, sophomore forward Rose Tynan was able to win back a ball in the Tar Heel backfield and send it inside for Naughton. Naughton finished at the front of the cage to regain the advantage for Duke at the 44:00 mark.

North Carolina drew a series of four penalty corners following the Blue Devil goal, but Duke protected the lead with steady defensive play. Anchored by Steele, the unit withstood 13 second-half shots by the Tar Heels until North Carolina earned a penalty stroke opportunity in the 60th minute. Hoffman put away the shot to once again knot the match at 2-2.

The Tar Heels broke through again five minutes later on a Malin Evert strike to put North Carolina in front for the first time on the afternoon.

The Blue Devils pulled Steele from the cage with 4:16 remaining and pushed forward to earn several corner opportunities. However, the squad was unable to come up with the equalizer in the waning minutes.

“I'm disappointed in some of the things we take pride in and the strengths that we have,” Bustin said. “It just wasn't there consistently. They were there in moments, but against a team like North Carolina, running on a lot of adrenaline, we can't afford those moments. We're going to have to go back and talk about what we do to get ourselves out of those moments and who's going to step up and be that voice that people listen to.”

Steele rounded out the contest with eight saves, one shy of matching her season-high total of nine.

The Tar Heels (16-4) advance to Sunday's championship game, where they will face either Wake Forest or Virginia at 1 p.m.

---NOTES---

- With the feed on the Blue Devils' first goal, rookie midfielder Margaux Paolino surpassed former Duke great Katie Grant to set the program's freshman assist record with 13.

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