The 6th NCAA title for Tar Heels

UNC senior captain Danielle Forword scored the game-winning goal on a penalty corner with 11.7 seconds on the clock Sunday to give the North Carolina field hockey team a 3-2 win over No. 1 Maryland and hand the Tar Heels the NCAA championship.

Maryland (23-1) came into the game undefeated, and the Terrapins had beaten Carolina 4-1 on Oct. 24 in Chapel Hill. UNC (20-2) claimed its sixth NCAA championship in field hockey -- the program's second crown in the past three years after also winning in 2007.

They're all different and they're all special," said UNC coach Karen Shelton. "This one was different in that we were such an underdog and came from behind in such dramatic fashion.

"To win it against a Maryland team that pretty much dominated us and out-played us for about 70 percent of the game and to win it with 11 seconds on the clock was an incredible thrill."

Tar Heels to host Indiana in NCAA soccer

Sophomore forward Billy Schuler found the back of the net to give No. 5 national seed North Carolina an early lead, and classmate Alex Dixon added a late goal to put the match away in the Tar Heels' 2-0 win over Brown in second round action of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Sunday at Fetzer Field.

With the victory, Carolina (14-2-3) advances to meet Indiana, a 1-0 winner over No. 12 seed Butler, in the tourney's third round. The Hoosiers and Heels will play at 2 p.m. Sunday on Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill.

UNC women's soccer advances to quarterfinals

Senior forward Casey Nogueira scored her ninth goal of the season and North Carolina's defense posted its eighth straight shutout as the third-ranked Tar Heel women's soccer team defeated 19th-ranked Maryland 1-0 in the NCAA third round.

Top-seeded in its bracket, Carolina will play host to Wake Forest, the No. 3 seed, in the NCAA quarterfinals on Friday at 2 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The other quarterfinal games will feature No. 2 seed Boston College at No. 1 seed Stanford in one bracket, No. 2 seed Portland at No. 1 seed UCLA, and No. 2 seed Notre Dame at No. 1 seed Florida State in final pairing.

Running back to CHHS

The fifth annual CHHS XC Alumni Run will be held on Sunday, Dec. 27h at 1 p.m., starting from the Chapel Hill High School track at Culton-Peerman Stadium. Race registration will be $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The money will benefit the Chapel Hill Cross Country Program. For more information, contact CHHS coach Ron Olsen at 929-2106, or email donna_bunch@med.unc.edu

Briefly ...

East Chapel Hill flexed some muscles at the first swim meet of the year against Chapel Hill, last Thursday at the Homestead Aquatic Center, where the East boys won 160-113 and the East girls 188-98. ... UNC ice hockey closed out its run in the James Sapikowski Memorial Tournament with a 4-3 shootout win Sunday at the Sportsplex over Alabama to claim third place. ... UNC linebacker Bruce Carter says he's definitely coming back in 2010 year for his senior year at Carolina. "I made up my mind a long time ago, I want to graduate and get my degree," Carter said.