UNC Field Hockey 2026-2027

Jriv23

All-Conference
Jul 31, 2025
2,850
2,999
113
Q3 ends 5-0 Heels. Mendez had a goal negated for a back stick

Total All-ACC team honorees for each of the 3 teams who tied for the ACC best finish:
  • UNC - 3
  • dook - 5, and COY
  • wake - 4. incl DPOY
  • Cuse and ville finished 4th and 5th; each had 3 on the team.
The slights above are not glaring; they are defensible. But it is a trend year after year: underrepresentation. We had more women than any other team who earned ACC POTW honors at some point but were left off of All-ACC lists.

dook's Pam Bustin won her 4th ACC Coach of the Year. She has only won the regular season outright once. She tied with UNC twice but lost to us and thus lost the tie-break both times. She has never won the ACC Tournament. She has a 4-26 record vs UNC. and has not won since 2017, going 0-16 over two of those COY awards.

Erin Matson has only won COY once, when she went undefeated in the regular season at 15-0. I guess that is what is takes for her to win it. In 2023 she lost COY voting to Bustin right after we beat them to take the 1 seed and we were ranked #1 in the country at 16-1 with the single loss in 2OT.

Karen Shelton won ACC COY 12 times, but notably only 4 after Bustin was hired at dook in 2010. We were the #1 team in the country the times she won it. That is again what it takes to give it to UNC. Since 2010 our coaches combined for 12 ACC reg season titles, 11 ACCT tiles (this year TBD), 15 final four appearances, and 5 national titles.

Bustin has more ACC COY awards than Shelton or Matson since joining the conference. Her accomplishments: 3 ACC reg season titles (2 tied with UNC), 0 ACCT tiles (this year TBD), 3 final four appearances, and 0 national titles.

This year, I am not mad at Matson not winning; Wake or dook probably deserved it based on non-conference outcomes. But again; it is a trend. In national coaches poll right now (out today) it is Wake #6, UNC #7, dook #8. So basically a toss-up, though UNC is lower in RPI. The national coaching community routinely gives UNC more respect than the ACC does.

edit: fixed some bad math
This is the year that EM should have gotten it IMO. She and our team went through more adversity than we have seen in a long time. When the season started and our three players were not able to play because of the court ruling, we lost some games that we was not use to losing. This team finish the season as the number 1 seed in the tournament. Anybody with a pea brain can look at that alone and say wow, she deserved COY for this year in the ACC. This again is another form of bias by our league. Go Heels!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOB1937

Jriv23

All-Conference
Jul 31, 2025
2,850
2,999
113
Pretty sure it was coach's decision after the wake loss. In the Wake game we allowed 4 goals on just 6 Shots on goal.

Shahbo was starter in game 1 (Iowa loss) so this competition has always been close.
I am just glad that we have two goalies that are talented enough for EM and staff to do this.
 

3397char

All-American
Moderator
Jun 30, 2025
4,393
9,207
113
3-2 Heels, but will be reviewed

Onslaught of 3 heels charging the GK on a counter break, Heck gets the rebound, corals the bouncer, and easy open goal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOB1937

Jriv23

All-Conference
Jul 31, 2025
2,850
2,999
113
I feel bad for Mia - such a solid player but she will not be happy about that miss.

BC looking strong
I do not feel bad for Mia because she knows what she needs to do but she will not do it. She needs to quick beating the bush and just transfer to UNC. The saying is, if you got beat them then join them. We saw what Dani Mendez did. She exactly what the cliche just said.
 

3397char

All-American
Moderator
Jun 30, 2025
4,393
9,207
113
Heck earns yet another corner; 3 for her today

...and nope on the shot

Mendez then earns another; our 7th


...so close but no again
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOB1937
Inside Carolina

Latest

  1. 01 Inside Carolina Basketball Recruiting Thursday Night Update on Matija Lukić
  2. 02 Inside Carolina Football Recruiting UNC Makes Late Push for MAC CB Commit Zach Ingram
  3. 03 Inside Carolina Football Jordan Washington's Return Bolstering North Carolina Tight End Room
  4. 04 Inside Carolina Basketball UNC-Wofford Preview: Tar Heels Searching For Improvement in Second Outing
  5. 05 Rivals Football Recruiting Georgia, Virginia Tech and UNC making strong impressions on Rivals300 DL Justice Daye