Sports > September 6, 2007

By Martin Rickman | Staff writer

The Demon Deacon field hockey team lost a hard-fought battle 2-1 in overtime against rival UNC Aug. 31 in front of a record crowd of almost 1,500 at Francis E. Henry Stadium.

The two teams, arguably the two best in the ACC and two of the best in the country, have a lot of history between them, with the Tar Heels leading the season series but the Deacons winning the last four meetings before the Aug. 31 contest.

The Deacs, ranked second in the nation, were coming off a loss to 10th-ranked Iowa and a win against host Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge Aug. 25 and 26. UNC, who was also at the event, defeated both Iowa and Michigan.

Poised to face the No. 3 Tar Heels, who they defeated both in the regular season and in the ACC Tournament semifinals, the Deacons fell behind early, trailing 1-0 after a shot by Elizabeth Drazdowski with 14:51 left in the first half. Drazdowski fired a shot on a penalty corner with an assist from Katelyn Falgowski that got past junior keeper Crystal Duffield. At the end of the first half, the Deacons had one of their best scoring opportunities of the game as they pressured the UNC defense with an offensive charge led by junior Minou Gimbrere, who misfired but was followed by a strong attempt by sophomore Hilary Moore that was saved by Tar Heels keeper Brianna O’Donnell.

The Deacs were met with the Tar Heels’ strong defensive pressure the entire game and only had four shots on goal, but were able to find a hole in the second half on a shot by freshman midfielder Emily Cummings, who scored her first collegiate goal off an assist by senior Chelsea Cipriani.

Cummings from Johnson City, N.Y., was a regional All-American at Maine-Endwell High School and was a Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee.

“When I scored my first goal it was very strange at first because I didn’t even realize at first that I had scored. But afterwards it was a really great feeling and it made my adrenaline pump,” Cummings said.

In the extremely defensive battle, the Deacs expertly fended off the Tar Heel attack in the second half, as UNC was unable to score despite having eight shots. Forcing OT, the Deacons played the Tar Heels hard, but after fending off two shots in the period, UNC scored on an unassisted shot from Laree Beans 5:30 into the first overtime. The Deacons will have a chance at revenge, as the two will play again Sept. 29 in Spry Stadium in what is sure to be a grudge match.

The team will face rival Duke Sept. 8 in Durham.

“We look to come back from a loss against UNC by beating them the next time that we face them,” Cummings said.

“The game plan against Duke is to dominate them and exploit their weaknesses.”

The team will finally return to Winston-Salem for its first home match of the season Sept. 12 against Radford.