WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The second-ranked North Carolina area hockey staff opened 2022 with an exclamation level on Friday afternoon, beating No. 3 Michigan 5-1 in ACC-Massive Ten Problem play at Wake Forest’s Kentner Stadium.
Freshman Ashley Sessa completed her first collegiate recreation with a hat trick, and classmate Ryleigh Heck additionally scored in her first recreation as a Tar Heel. Senior Erin Matson, UNC’s all-time scoring chief, had the staff’s different objective, and senior Paityn Wirth handed out three assists.
Two Carolina keepers cut up the sport in objective, with sophomore Abigail Taylor making one save in a shutout first half and freshman Kylie Walbert permitting one objective then making three saves within the second.
UNC is again in motion on Sunday, taking up its second top-five Massive Ten opponent of the weekend in No. 5 Iowa. That recreation, which is about for 4 p.m. in Winston-Salem, will air on the ACC Community.
On Friday, Heck scored what would show to be the gamewinner simply 2:27 into the motion. Sessa, who joined Heck and midfielder Sietske Brüning to make up a trio of freshmen within the UNC beginning lineup, added a objective within the second quarter to place the Tar Heels up 2-0 heading into the break.
Michigan scored lower than two minutes into the third quarter, with Abby Tamer getting an early shot previous Walbert. The groups then waited out a lightning delay of greater than an hour. After play resumed, Matson picked up her first objective of the season to once more give Carolina a two-goal cushion within the 39th minute of play.
Sessa’s second objective got here 3:35 into the fourth quarter and put UNC up 4-1. She added one other within the 51st minute, assisted by Wirth. Sessa was credited with six photographs for the day, all of them on-goal.
Friday’s Carolina victory avenged a 3-2 loss to Michigan in final yr’s season-opener.
No. 2 UNC 5, No. 3 Michigan 1
Scoring: UNC – Ryleigh Heck (Paityn Wirth), 2:27; UNC – Ashley Sessa, 24:51; UM – Abby Tamer, 31:46; UNC – Erin Matson (Wirth), 38:53; UNC – Sessa, 48:35; UNC – Sessa (Wirth), 50:26
Pictures: UNC 19 (6/2/5/6), UM 10 (0/3/4/3)
Penalty corners: UNC 6 (3/0/2/1), UM 5 (0/1/3/1)
Goalkeeper saves: UNC 4 (Abigail Taylor, 30:00, 1 save, 0 targets allowed; Kylie Walbert, 30:00, 3 saves, 1 objective allowed); UM 9 (Anna Spieker, 30:00, 5 saves, 2 targets allowed; Caylie McMahon, 30:00, 4 saves, 3 targets allowed)
Information: UNC 1-0, Michigan 0-1
