Nov. 10, 2009

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina field hockey team will make the program's 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large berth in the 2009 field, which was announced Tuesday evening. The Tar Heels (16-2) are paired with Ohio State (13-6) for a first-round game set for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Host Wake Forest (12-6) will meet Indiana (14-6) in the other first-round game at that site, with the winners facing off on Sunday for a spot in the NCAA semifinals the following weekend. In addition to hosting first and second-round games, Wake's Kentner Stadium also will serve as the site for the final four, with semifinals set for Nov. 20 and the NCAA championship game for Nov. 22.

"I'm delighted to be in the tournament and excited to be playing Ohio State," said UNC coach Karen Shelton, who has led her team to five NCAA titles, most recently in 2007. "We'll keep working hard this week and look forward to playing again on Saturday."

UNC and Ohio State have met just once in field hockey, during the 1997 season when the Tar Heels won 3-0 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Carolina and Wake Forest are two of five Atlantic Coast Conference teams to make the field. Maryland and Virginia both are serving as host schools, the Terrapins playing a first-round game against American and the Cavaliers opening against Richmond. Boston College will travel to play Syracuse in Princeton, N.J.