IOWA CITY, Iowa – The North Carolina field hockey team's quest for the sports first-ever fourth consecutive NCAA Championship ended four wins early as the Tar Heels fell 2-0 Friday afternoon to Northwestern at Iowa's Grant Field. The NCAA Tournament first-round loss is UNC's earliest exit from the postseason since 2008, breaking a string of 12 straight trips to the final four.
"Congratulations to Northwestern – they were the better team today," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "They were fundamentally sound, quick on restarts, and they have a tremendous amount of team speed. They were a step quicker than our team today.