MERION STATION, Pa. – Freke van Tilburg's goal with just under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter powered the 17th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team past #4 North Carolina, 3-2, at an electric Ellen Ryan Field on Friday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• North Carolina (2-3) got on the board first as Erin Matson scored on a rebound after a penalty corner six minutes into the game.

• Saint Joseph's (3-2) drew level with 1:19 to go in the first quarter as Katelyn Cocco collected a loose ball on a deflection and tucked it past UNC's Abigail Taylor to tie the game at one.

• Matson, the two-time defending national Player of the Year, showed why she's regarded as the nation's top player with a strong individual effort to put the Tar Heels back on top early in the second quarter, but van Tilburg equalized on the second of back-to-back penalty corners to send the teams into halftime level.

• Hannah Griggs bookended a cagey third quarter with two shots for UNC; her first one, 13 seconds into the frame, was saved by Robin Bleekemolen, while the second fizzed just wide of the goal with 21 seconds remaining to set up a dramatic fourth quarter.

• North Carolina earned a corner attempt midway through the quarter that came to nothing, but the Hawks cashed in their opportunity as van Tilburg sent the Crimson and Gray portion of the capacity crowd into a frenzy with her second of the day on SJU's lone penalty corner of the half with 3:53 to play.

• The Tar Heels pulled Taylor for an extra field player and earned two corners in the final 90 seconds, but the Hawks showed their mettle and finished off the upset.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Katy Benton and Zoe Wohlleben assisted on both of van Tilburg's goals to finish with a pair of assists apiece.

• North Carolina held a 7-3 advantage in shots; Bleekemolen made four saves for the Hawks, while SJU put all three of its attempts into the net.

• The seven shots are a season-low for UNC, as the Hawk defense put together an outstanding team performance.

• Both sides recorded four corner opportunities.

• The Tar Heels are the highest-ranked opponent ever to visit Hawk Hill, and the highest-ranked opponent the Hawks have ever beaten.  Previously, SJU hosted fifth-ranked James Madison on October 14, 1995, and came away with a 2-1 victory.

UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's hosts its second top-10 opponent in three days as #8 Rutgers visits Hawk Hill at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday; fans can watch the game live on ESPN+ in the United States and on the A-10 Network elsewhere.  The Scarlet Knights improved to 4-0 on Friday with a 3-2 win over #16 Syracuse in double overtime.