East Chapel Hill wins with a golden goal at Chapel Hill
Few rivalries are as close as the one between Chapel Hill’s and East Chapel Hill’s field hockey teams.
To start with, many of the players from each team grew up playing either with or against each other on one of Chapel Hill’s club teams, like the Carolina All Stars or the TarDevils. But it gets even more intimate than that.
First-year Chapel Hill coach Anna Long played at East Chapel Hill before transferring to and graduating from Chapel Hill. Wildcat coach Susan Taylor, who played for East Chapel Hill before joining the faculty there, has Izzy Long – sister of the Tigers’ head coach – on her current roster.
“I don’t think she really wants to talk we me right now,” Izzy Long said as both teams were packing their gear after Wednesday’s game at Chapel Hill. “We love each other, but we still have a great rivalry.”
East Chapel Hill defeated Chapel Hill 2-1 Wednesday at Culton-Peerman Stadium.
It was the fifth straight win for the defending state champions since a 3-2 loss Aug. 29 to NCISAA member Providence Day, and the second straight one-goal win for East Chapel Hill (11-1), which won 2-1 Monday at Cardinal Gibbons.
None of the current Wildcat players have ever lost to Chapel Hill. East has won eight consecutive times against the Tigers since the class of 2016 joined the team.
Chapel Hill (9-3) suffered its second loss of the week, having lost 2-1 Monday to Carrboro.
After holding East Chapel Hill scoreless for more than a half, Chapel Hill broke on top 1-0 with a score by Julia Grant off a penalty corner.
Both teams struggled throughout the game for control on the muddy, bumpy field – used less than 48 hours before for the Cedar Ridge-Chapel Hill football game.
“We came into the game pretty nervous, because it’s such a huge rivalry,” East Chapel Hill captain Caroline Kolk said. “I knew were playing a little scared in the first half, but we could bring so much more to the game and play so much harder.”
After several scoring chances in the second half for both sides, East Chapel Hill’s Sasha Bull scored the equalizer off another penalty corner, forced after Chapel Hill goalkeeper Hanna Sierkierski knocked away a shot by East’s Amy Smith. A couple of Wildcats worked to settle the ball on the lumpy turf before Kila Hancock slid it to Bull at the far post, and Bull knocked it in with 6:07 left to play.
“Our girls left everything on the field, so I’m disappointed we didn’t capitalize on some of those opportunities,” Anna Long said.
Chapel Hill pressed up in the final minutes and then was caught forward as East mounted a fast-break counter. Bull collected a pass near the top of the penalty circle and slipped it past the oncoming goalkeeper to Natalie Enyedi, who guided it into the open goal with about 45 seconds left in the game.
“They out-played us in the first half, but we all knew we could come back to win,” Bull said. “We never let up.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 10:27 PM with the headline "East Chapel Hill wins with a golden goal at Chapel Hill."