Wake Forest University
(5-3 (0-1))
North Carolina
(8-0 (2-0))
No. 15 Wake Forest Drops ACC Opener at No. 2 North Carolina
9/23/2022 5:59:00 PM | Field Hockey
Freshman Ellie Todd became the first Demon Deacon goalkeeper to tally double-digit saves in a match since 2015, registering a career-high 12 stops.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 15 Wake Forest field hockey team dropped its ACC opener at No. 2 North Carolina, 2-0, Friday afternoon at Karen Shelton Stadium.
Wake Forest (5-3, 0-1 ACC) was led by freshman Ellie Todd in the cage. The Boston, Mass. native became the first Demon Deacon to tally double-digit saves in a match since 2015, registering a career-high 12 stops.
Todd made five saves throughout a scoreless opening 30 minutes of play, tying her previous career high set in her collegiate debut against No. 3 Michigan on Aug. 28.
North Carolina (8-0, 2-0 ACC) broke the scoreless tie at the 35-minute mark. In the fourth quarter, Wake Forest responded, firing three shots thanks to two penalty corners in a span of two minutes. The Tar Heels added another goal at the 55-minute mark to increase their lead and ultimately secure the conference clash.
The Demon Deacon defense continued to impress, holding an opponent to two goals or less for the sixth time this season. Wake Forest now holds a 4-2 record in those matches, with both losses coming to top-5 teams in the nation.
How It Happened
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After back-and-forth play in the opening minutes, both teams notched circle entries at the eight and nine-minute marks, respectively.
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Ellie Todd made the first save of her start at goalkeeper eight minutes into the match, denying North Carolina's first shot attempt as the match remained scoreless.
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Moments later, Todd tallied her second save as the freshman knocked away a Tar Heel strike in transition.
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Todd and the Demon Deacon defense made another strong play on North Carolina's first corner opportunity with just over four minutes remaining in the first.
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Todd registered her third save of the match on the play.
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The match remained scoreless at the conclusion of the first period.
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Brooke McCusker fired Wake Forest's first strike wide at the 11-minute mark.
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Todd picked up her fourth denial of the match on North Carolina's second corner of the match at the 18-minute mark. Moments later, Ashley Hart fired Wake Forest's second shot of the contest on a quick transition down the field.
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After Todd registered her fifth save of the match on North Carolina's fifth shot attempt of the match, the Tar Heels attempted a shot wide before the Deacs blocked another Tar Heel try with four minutes left in the first half.
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Todd's fifth save tied her previous career high set in her collegiate debut against No. 5 Michigan on Aug. 28.
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The game remained scoreless at the halftime break.
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Todd opened the second half with two more saves in the opening three minutes of the third period, increasing her match total to seven, a new career high.
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North Carolina broke the tie, taking a 1-0 lead five minutes into the third.
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Undaunted, Todd denied a pair of North Carolina shots at the front of the cage for her eighth and ninth saves of the match with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
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With one minute remaining, Todd made saves on back-to-back attempts before the Tar Heels pushed a shot wide.
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The freshman goalkeeper registered 11 saves through 45 minutes of play.
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With seven minutes left in the match, Wake Forest attacked the circle as Rachel Thetford crossed the ball to Hannah Maxwell in front of the net. Anna Gwiazdzinski gathered the ball and fired a shot, but the Tar Heel goalkeeper denied the opportunity.
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One minute later, Wake Forest repossessed the ball and received its first penalty corner of the match. The ensuing shot by Sky Caron was blocked and dribbled just wide of the net.
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A Meike Lanckohr strike with six minutes remaining was saved by North Carolina as the host held onto their one-goal advantage.
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Lanckohr's shot came immediately after Wake Forest's second corner of the match.
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The Tar Heels added to its lead (2-0) with a quick transition down the field found a Tar Heel in front of the net with 4:30 remaining.
- Todd picked up another save, her 12th of the match, with just over three minutes left in regulation on the match's final offensive attack.
Quotables
Head Coach Jennifer Averill - "I'm extremely proud of our fight and resilience today. The fourth quarter was a testament of our courage and competitiveness. We will examine the winnable and challenging moments of this game and continue to grow our brand of hockey."
Up Next
The Deacs will finish off its three-match road trip with a non-conference contest at Appalachian State on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 12:00 p.m.
The match can be streamed on App State Athletics' Twitch channel.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Erin Matson (8)
Shot from mid-circle
35:19
Erin Matson (9)
Assisted By: Lisa Slinkert
Pass to post after feed from #2
55:07
