#1 against #2. It does not get any better then this does it? Tomorrow at noon, #1 North Carolina is going to face #2 Connecticut at a neutral site. Some sports naturally pit the highest two ranked teams against each other while others can only hope that they meet. NCAA field hockey is going to have one epic day when #1 and #2 meet tomorrow.
Of course, this is not the first 1/2 meeting that we have had this season. Earlier in the year #2 North Carolina met with #1 Maryland and the tar heels came out on top. After the game, the heels came out as the #1 team and currently Maryland is the #4 team in the country. Having two 1/2 matchups in the month of September is an incredibly special season and a sign of great things to come.
So how did we get here? UNC is currently 7-1 on the season with their one loss being at Louisville last weekend. North Carolina has beat Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Syracuse, and Boston College to prove to the country that they are the #1 team. The hardest part of their schedule is arguably over with matchups against Connecticut, Duke, Virginia, and Wake Forest left with many smaller sides in between. North Carolina is looking to be a favorite for the tournament and they came close last year until they lost in the semifinals.
Who beat them in the semis? Connecticut. The huskies may not be in the ACC, but they still play a tough schedule. They have already faced Penn State, Boston College, and Stanford and end their season against Temple. Connecticut is currently 6-2 on the season with a loss at Boston College in a shootout and on Friday afternoon against Stanford. While their resume this season may not look quite as impressive, this team is the defending national champions and that speaks loudly.
Who needs the win more? While both teams are going to bring their A game, Connecticut needs this win more. Their remaining schedule is weaker then Carolina's is and they are coming off of their first loss. The ACC is still the dominating conference and UNC will have multiple chances to prove itself later on this year if they stumble on Sunday. Connecticut does not have Virginia and Duke remaining on their schedule so many will look to how they played against Stanford and UNC at the end of the season. With a loss on Friday already, Connecticut needs this win more then Carolina does.
Who does the neutral site benefit? The game tomorrow is being played at the Boston College Soccer Complex in Newton, Massachusetts. North Carolina just played there on Friday and earned an overtime win over Boston College. Despite that, I think Connecticut has the advantage here. They also played on this field earlier in the season and Storrs is only 90 minutes from Newton. They should have the bigger fan base at the game and they will not be as tired from the travel as North Carolina will be.
Who will win? The biggest winner on Sunday is probably going to be the fans. Seeing #1 meet #2 at a neutral site and have it be a rematch of a semifinal game from last year is a great story. But on the field though it will be extremely competitive. I would not be surprised to see this game go into overtime. My prediction is:
North Carolina 3 and Connecticut 2
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