Erin Matson scored a hat trick as No. 1 North Carolina downed St. Joseph’s 5-2 to advance to the Final Four
Saint Joseph’s fought off some early pressure for North Carolina in the opening minutes of the first quarter. North Carolina controlled possession for most of the quarter and earned three penalty corners, but could not find the back of the cage. The Tar Heels broke through in the 10th minute of play when Paityn Wirth knocked in a rebound of a Matson shot.
Back-and-forth in the second quarter which saw three green cards between the two teams. Kiersten Thomassey made a great defensive play with less than five minutes in the second play to thwart a Saint Joseph’s breakaway.
North Carolina doubled their lead with a penalty corner blast from Matson to take a 2-0 lead late in the second quarter. Matson added another goal in the last minute of the play to give North Carolina a 3-0 lead at the half.
Matson completed a hat trick early in the third quarter when North Carolina was awarded a penalty stroke. Saint Joseph’s responded to cut the lead to 4-1 when Leigh James scored off a penalty corner.
Ashley Sessa added another goal early in the fourth quart to extend North Carolina’s lead to 5-1. Saint Joseph’s responded with a goal of their own as Sol Borensztein’s shot trickled in past Kylie Walbert.
North Carolina held a 19-5 advantage in shots and 6-3 in penalty corners. Walbert made three saves while Robin Bleekemolen made six saves.
Despite an early 1-0 deficit, No. 1 North Carolina scored five times in the first half to rout Delaware 5-1. Kennedy Cliggett led the way offensively as she scored twice in the first quarter in a span of four minutes. Ryleigh Heck, Ashley Sessa and Lisa Slinkert also added goals as North Carolina outshot Delaware 28-6.
Lily Santi scored the game-winner early in the second quarter off a penalty corner deflection as No. 9 St. Joseph’s defeated No. 10 Wake Forest 3-1. Sky Caron gave Wake Forest a 1-0 lead early in the first quarter but Celeste Smits knotted it up at 1-1 less than three minutes later. Santi and Freke van Tilburg connected 47 seconds into the second quarter for a 2-1 lead and Manu Ghigliotti capped off the scoring in the fourth quarter.
Last Time They Met
North Carolina routed St. Joseph’s in Chapel Hill 6-0 back on Oct. 23 behind a Heck hat trick. Matson, Cliggett and Paityn Wirth also got in on the action as North Carolina led 17-7 in shots. Abigal Taylor made three saves, while Robin Bleekemolen tallied seven.
Players to Watch
Kennedy Cliggett (UNC): The sophomore forward has played a big role in Carolina’s depth this season as she comes off the bench in all 18 games. Cliggett has tallied seven goals and one assist for 15 points, including two in the first round game against Delaware.
Freke van Tilburg (SJU): The senior back has been an anchor in the St. Joseph’s backfield this season, contributing a defense that averaged 0.90 goals per game. Van Tilburg has tallied a goal and two assists in her last two assists, including assisting on the game-winner against Wake Forest.
Trailed early but got rolling ⏩
Check out highlights from today's 5-1 win over Delaware and get ready to join us on Sunday at NOON for our NCAA Tournament 2nd round game vs. Saint Joseph's – winner gets a trip to the final four ✈️#GoHeels | #NCAAFHpic.twitter.com/6Di94dAexI
Lauren Wadas scored the final shootout winner as No. 2 Northwestern edged No. 25 Miami (OH) 2-1 in a shootout. Peyton Halsey gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead on a penalty stroke midway through the third quarter. Miami answered early in the fourth quarter to knot it up at 1-1 with ten minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime, which led to a shootout. Ana Medina Garcia and Aerin Krys both scored in the shootout. Annabel Skubisz made five saves in the win.
Lieve Schalk scored the shootout winner as No. 11 Virginia downed No. 5 Virginia in the second shootout of the day at Lakeside Field. Esme Gibson gave Iowa a 1-0 lead late in the first half when her shot deflected off a Virginia defender’s stick. Virginia tied it up to force overtime early in the fourth quarter. Mia Magnotta made two saves in the win.
Last Time They Met
Iowa handed Northwestern their first loss of the season back on Sept. 23 in Evanston. Alex Wesneski scored twice to down the then No. 1 ranked Wildcats 2-0. Northwestern outshot Iowa 16-3 and held a 6-0 advantage in penalty corners. Grace McGuire made eight saves in the win.
Players to Watch
Esme Gibson (IA): Gibson scored the opening goal in the win over Virginia. The senior midfielder ranks fourth on the team with four goals and four assists for 12 points.
Ana Medina Garcia (NU): Medina Garcia hasn’t scored since the overtime winner against Ohio State back on Oct. 16 but she has some big time goals in her career. The senior forward is fourth on the team with six goals and four assists for 16 points.
Riley Donnelly converted on a penalty stroke in the second overtime as No. 2 Maryland downed No. 13 Liberty. The Flames took a 1-0 lead midway through the third quarter but Margot Lawn responded in the closing minutes of the quarter to tie it up 1-1. Maryland outshot Liberty 23-6 and held an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners.
Charlotte de Vries scored twice as No. 7 Syracuse avenged an early season loss to No. 8 Princeton 5-2. Princeton took an early lead but de Vries scored her first of the day to knot it up 1-1. The Tigers retook the lead midway through the second quarter and Syracuse tied up at the buzzer when Lana Hamilton scored off a rebound. Syracuse pulled away in the second half with another goal from de Vries, along with Eefke van den Nieuwenhof and Sabine vd Eijnden. Borzymowski made two saves in the win.
Last Time They Met
Maryland edged Syracuse 2-1 in the 2021 Elite Eight in College Park. Anna Castaldo gave Maryland a 1-0 lead early in the second quarter. Syracuse found an answer early in the fourth quarter from van den Nieuwenhoff, but Bibi Donraadt gave Maryland the lead right back 1:28 later. Borzymowski made five saves in the loss.
Players to Watch
Hope Rose (UMD): Rose led with seven shots in the 2-1 win over Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore forward leads with 14 goals so far this season.
Charlotte de Vries (SU): The senior forward has tallied at least a point in her last three games, dating back to the ACC tournament. De Vries is second on the Orange in scoring with 14 goals.
2OT | Donnelly DAGGER!!!
Riley nails the stroke and takes the Terps to the Elite Eight🐢🏑
Sophia Gladieux and Anna Simon each scored twice as No. 6 Penn State routed No. 12 Louisville 5-0 in Ann Arbor. Jemma Punch also added a goal as Penn State put on the offensive pressure from the beginning. The Nittany Lions outshot the Cardinals 19-8 and held a 10-4 advantage in penalty corners. Brie Barraco made six saves in the win.
UAlbany upset No. 4 Michigan in overtime with a goal from Sophia Schoonmaker. Michigan took a 1-0 lead late in the second quarter. UAlbany found the equalizer with under three minutes remaining in regulation when Floor de Ruiter deflected a shot from Alison Smisdom. Elaina Burchell found Schoonmaker on a breakaway pass who deked a defender and goalkeeper for the 2-1 upset. Hannah Mangan made eight saves in the win.
Last Time They Met
Penn State and UAlbany met earlier this season where Gladieux tallied a hat trick in a 6-2 win in Albany. Grace Wallis, Carly Gannon and Punch also scored for the Nittany Lions while Smisdom and Schoonmaker scored for the Great Danes. Hannah Mangan made ten saves in the loss.
Players to Watch
Sophia Gladeiux (PSU): Gladieux has been the offensive spark all season and will be a key factor if Penn State wants to advance to the Final Four. The junior forward leads with 23 goals and three assists for 49 points, along with seven-game winners, which are all career-highs for Sophia Gladieux.
Sophia Schoonmaker (UA): Schoonmaker scored the game-winner in a 2-1 upset over Michigan in overtime. The sophomore forward is ranked fifth on the team with six goals and two assists for 14 points, along with three game-winners.
jill gattens 