As has been the case all season, no team was a match for North Carolina.
The No. 9 Penn State field hockey team lost the NCAA championship to the No. 1 Tar Heels, 3-0, Sunday in College Park, Md.
It was the second championship game appearance for the Nittany Lions (16-8), who last reached the final against Wake Forest in 2002. Penn State was attempting to beat four straight ACC teams, which would have been the first time a team won the national championship playing all teams from one conference.
North Carolina's win against Penn State caps off a 24-0 unbeaten season for the Tar Heels and gives North Carolina its first national title since 1997, when it completed a three-year run at No. 1.
Penn State was outshot yet again in the game, but unlike in the other rounds, the Lions were unable to capitalize on their limited scoring chances. The Tar Heels outshot Penn State, 10-3, and had more penalty corners, 6-2.
In two meetings this year, North Carolina has outscored the Lions by a combined 9-0 and has held Penn State to just three shots.
Despite falling behind early in the third minute from a North Carolina goal by Katelyn Falgowski, Penn State had a couple of chances to tie the game, including one instance off of a penalty corner. North Carolina put the game away early in the second half to go up two goals and then ended the scoring with a goal in the 63rd minute.
