No. 7 Field Hockey Battles Back From 2-0 Deficit, Falls to No. 2 North Carolina 4-2
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y.- After climbing back from a 2-0 hole, No. 7 University at Albany field hockey (4-1) saw momentum shift late in the second half, dropping a 4-2 contest to No. 2 North Carolina (5-1) at Alumni Turf on Sunday afternoon. Paula Heuser and Anna Bottino registered the tallies for the Danes.
“Playing two top-10 teams this weekend could've gone any number of ways,” said head coach Phil Sykes. “Today was a fantastic effort from our entire team, especially being down 2-0 early. I loved our competitive spirit and team unity in this game, and I'm confident we'll get better as a result.”
Three straight penalty corners for the Tar Heels set up an early North Carolina goal in the fourth minute. Emily Wold put back a penalty corner rebound to put the No. 2 team in the country up 1-0. Three minutes later, the Heels would strike again for a 2-0 advantage.
After settling into the game plan in the first 10 minutes, Kelsey Briddell tested UNC goalkeeper Shannon Johnson down the right side. The sophomore helped the Danes put pressure on the Carolina back line, leading to the first penalty corner for UAlbany in the 22nd minute.
Fiori Van Rijswijk inserted to Laura Page, and a Heuser shot resulted in a save. The rebound fell to Bottino, but play was whistled dead before the sophomore could fire off a shot. The Danes took two more penalty corners in the next few minutes, but inserts by Van Rijswijk and Megan Ma did not find the back of the cage.
After two shots by UNC's Nina Notman, the Danes countered downfield as Bottino took the ball to goal in the 32nd minute. The sophomore scooted a shot past Shannon Johnson from the right endline, narrowing the deficit to one goal, 2-1.
The Purple & Gold momentum was looking up to end the half, as a Van Rijswijk shot off a penalty corner went wide in the closing moments.
UAlbany opened the second half with a one-player advantage, due to a North Carolina green card to conclude the first period. Heuser had a penalty corner shot blocked to start the half, but the junior came back with a shot straight into the upper-right corner on a corner eight minutes later. Laura Page and Van Rijswijk recorded assists on the goal.
With the score tied at two, UAlbany's momentum shifted back to the Heels on a tough break. North Carolina charged downfield on a three-on-two. Maxi Primus came out of the net to thwart the charge, but her helmet came off in the process. In the scramble that ensued, UNC took the lead, 3-2. The Tar Heels scored again to secure a 4-2 win.
Anna Bottino has now scored in three consecutive games. The sophomore had the game-winner against Hofstra last week, and scored the opening goal against No. 8 Maryland on Friday.
Paula Heuser has recorded seven goals this season, scoring in all but one game to date in 2015. The reigning NFHCA National Player of the Year has 131 career points, 20 points shy of breaking the all-time program record in just her junior season.
UAlbany plays its second home game of the season against Bucknell (2-3) on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1:00 p.m.
