MERION STATION, Pa. – A go-ahead goal at the end of the first half and two fourth-quarter scores made the difference as the 13th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team fell to #2 North Carolina, 4-1, at Ellen Ryan Field on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (9-3) took the lead in the final minute of the first quarter.  Celeste Smits sent a pass into the circle for Manu Ghigliotti, who scooped the ball onto her stick and then fired past goalkeeper Maddie Kahn for a 1-0 lead.

• The Tar Heels drew level midway through the second as Charly Bruder fired home on a rebound to make it a 1-1 game.

• North Carolina (8-1) took the lead with no time on the clock at the end of the half as Sietske Bruning took a pass from Ryleigh Heck and hit paydirt on a penalty corner to give the visitors a halftime lead.

• Neither team found the back of the cage in a back-and-forth third quarter, but Heck widened the lead two and a half minutes into the fourth before Paityn Wirth converted on a counterattack midway through the frame to set the final margin.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• UNC held a 17-6 advantage in shots on the day and out-cornered the Hawks, nine to six.  Kahn made two saves while Janelle Ward matched a season-high with seven stops for the Hawks.

• The Tar Heels are the highest-ranked squad to ever visit Hawk Hill; they were also the previous highest-ranked team that the Hawks have hosted when SJU earned a 3-2 victory over fourth-ranked UNC in 2021.

UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's hits the road for three in a row, visiting #17 UMass on Friday and #14 Harvard on Sunday before a trip to Richmond next week.