CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 15 Stanford's season came to an end on Friday, falling 4-0 to No. 1 North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
Riding a season-high seven-match winning streak, Stanford (16-7, 4-0 America East) drew a tough assignment against defending NCAA champion North Carolina (20-0, 6-0 ACC), the No. 1 team in the country and winner of 43 consecutive matches dating back to 2017.
As expected, the Tar Heels seized control early, building a 3-0 halftime lead before tacking on another goal in the fourth quarter.
The ending was bittersweet for Stanford, which produced its most victories since a program-best 19-3 record in 2014. In addition to capturing its third America East crown in four seasons, Stanford also notched its second NCAA win in school history after defeating Miami (Ohio) 3-1 in the opening round on Wednesday.
North Carolina owned a 13-6 edge in shot attempts while Stanford won the penalty corner battle at 3-1.
Erin Matson scored two of the Tar Heels' four goals, with Feline Gunther and Yentl Leemans chipping in with one apiece.
Five of Stanford's six shot attempts came from Corinne Zanolli, who produced one of the best offensive seasons for any Division I player in recent memory. The most prolific goal scorer in school history, Zanolli finished her junior season with nation-leading totals in goals (33) and points (69) while attempting 124 shots. Zanolli, who has delivered six hat tricks in 2019 and nine for her career, was held scoreless on Friday for only the fifth time this season.
Kelsey Bing finished with six saves, closing out a stellar career in which she was named America East Goalkeeper of the Year for the third straight season. A 2016 NFHCA Third-Team All-American, the only game Bing missed was a Senior Night victory on Nov. 1 against UC Davis, as she competed as the starting goalkeeper for Team USA in its International Hockey Federation (FIH) qualifier on Nov. 1-2 against India.
Seniors Emma Alderton, Phoebe Crosthwaite and Jessica Welch played the final game of their career on Friday. Stanford's senior class produced a 57-27 overall record, 18-4 record in conference play, three NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2017, 2019) and three America East titles (2016, 2017, 2019).