LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Before top-ranked UNC takes the field for today's NCAA field hockey championship game against No. 2 Maryland, the Tar Heels will pause for a few minutes for a ritual that's been with them all season:
With the coaches already out on the field and only the players still in the locker room, just before the goalkeepers head out to start warmups, the Tar Heels will draw together in a huddle, arms around each other. Someone will have turned the music off and the room will grow very quiet. It's a moment of calm before the storm, when the Tar Heels look around at their teammates and recommit themselves to the task at hand.