June 26, 2000

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina field hockey team will face nearly all of the nation's top teams during the 2000 season, the schedule for which was announced today. Of Carolina's 19 regular-season field hockey games, 14 are against teams that finished last season ranked 11th in the nation or higher. The Tar Heels face defending NCAA champion Maryland on Oct. 22 and meet NCAA runner-up Michigan twice, on Sept. 3 at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in St. Louis, Mo., and on Oct. 13 in Chapel Hill. "We're playing the toughest schedule in the country, no question," says UNC coach Karen Shelton, who is entering her 20th season in Chapel Hill. "I really believe that playing a tough schedule makes you stronger, and we're preparing this team to be tough at tournament time."

The Tar Heels open the season on Saturday, Aug. 26, with a 1 p.m. home game against Duke. Following that game, UNC is on the road until Sept. 16, when the Tar Heels host longtime rival Old Dominion. Carolina will play a total of six home games at Francis E. Henry Stadium.

This year's ACC Tournament is scheduled for College Park, Md., on Nov. 2-5.

The Tar Heels finished the 1999 season 16-6 and tied at No. 7 in the national rankings. The season ended with a 2-0 loss to Iowa in the NCAA second round. Ten of 11 starters return to the team, led by two-time All-America selection Jana Toepel, a senior who is also a member of the U.S. National Team. Kristen McCann, another of the team's five seniors, also is a member of the top U.S. team.

2000 UNC Field Hockey Schedule

Date	Day	Opponent	Site	Time
Aug. 26	Sat.	Duke	Chapel Hill	1 p.m.
Sept. 3	Sun.	Michigan-1	St. Louis, Mo.	Noon
Sept. 4	Mon.	Penn State-1	St. Louis, Mo.	10 a.m.
Sept. 9	Sat.	Iowa-2	Philadelphia, Pa.	1:30 p.m.
Sept. 10	Sun	Temple or Towson-2	Philadelphia, Pa.	11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
Sept. 16	Sat.	Old Dominion	Chapel Hill	1 p.m.
Sept 17	Sun.	Virginia	Chapel Hill	1 p.m.
Sept. 23	Sat.	Richmond	Richmond, Va.	1 p.m.
Sept. 24	Sun.	James Madison	Harrisonburg, Va.	1 p.m.
Sept. 30	Sat.	Wake Forest	Chapel Hill	TBA
Oct. 1	Sun.	Duke	Durham, N.C.	3 p.m.
Oct.7	Sat.	Princeton	Norfolk, Va.	11:30 a.m.
Oct. 8	Sun.	Radford	Chapel Hill	1 p.m.
Oct. 10	Tues	Wake Forest	Winston-Salem, N.C.	7 p.m.
Oct. 13	Fri.	Michigan	Chapel Hill	2 p.m.
Oct. 15	Sun.	Virginia	Charlottesville, Va.	1 p.m.
Oct. 22	Sun.	Maryland	College Park, Md.	1 p.m.
Oct. 28	Sat.	Old Dominion	Norfolk, Va.	1 p.m.
Oct. 29	Sun.	William & Mary	Norfolk, Va.	Noon
Nov. 2-5	Thurs.-Sun	Atlantic Coast Conf. Tournament	College Park, Md.