University of North Carolina Athletics
Ortega (above) and McCool have gelled quickly this season.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: McCool & Ortega A Dynamic Duo
February 26, 2018 | Women's Lacrosse, Featured Writers
by Pat James, GoHeels.com
They met at a North Carolina women's lacrosse camp, where Jamie Ortega, then a standout at Centereach (N.Y.) High, played on a team with Marie McCool.
They stayed in touch over the years. Their relationship blossomed. And when Ortega, recognized as the top incoming freshman attacker in the nation by Inside Lacrosse, joined the Tar Heels last fall, she began an apprenticeship under McCool that has extended through the first two weeks of the 2018 season.
Subsequently, their on-field chemistry has improved.
"Every time we play in practice, I always know where she'll be and she knows where I am," Ortega said. "The more we practice together and play together, it just keeps growing."
That hasn't been more evident than it was Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.
With UNC and Maryland, the winners of the last five national championships, tied at 15 after 60 minutes, assistant coach Josh Dionne designed a play for Ortega and McCool before overtime. The Terrapins had constantly slid toward Ortega, the scorer of four goals. And if they did again, she knew McCool would be open.
Carolina first needed to win the draw. But once Emma Trenchard accomplished that, the play unfolded as expected, with Ortega receiving the ball on the right side of the goal, drawing a double team and easily finding McCool in front of the net.
"Jamie had her eyes up, and I was wide open," McCool said. "I was so open that I paused when I caught it and was like, 'Fake and shoot, Marie. Fake and shoot.'"
McCool's shot hit the left pipe. Like 11 of her previous 14 shots, she thought she'd missed. Yet this time, the ball ricocheted into the back of the goal, sealing a 16-15 win and igniting a warranted celebration by the Tar Heels.
The victory marked UNC's first over Maryland in the regular season since 2014. It also ended the top-ranked Terrapins' 25-game overall and 24-game road winning streaks.
But most importantly, it was the third straight win for a relatively inexperienced Tar Heel squad that opened the season with a loss at James Madison after graduating 11 seniors off last year's team.
"We lost to JMU a couple of weeks ago, and I think people were doubting us," McCool said. "Honestly, JMU is a great team, so I don't think people are realizing that. I think this game definitely proves how great we can be and also how great JMU is.Â
"We had a lot of things to fix from that JMU game. We were young, and that was the first game for our four freshmen starters. So this is a great statement."
And one that came with its fair share of obstacles.
UNC seized a 3-1 lead with a goal by Ortega and two by fellow freshman Ally Mastroianni. But Maryland answered with a 6-0 run, pushing its lead to 7-3 with 17:34 left in the first period.
For many Tar Heels, Saturday was their introduction to the rivalry with the Terrapins. That wasn't the case for McCool and Ela Hazar, whose experience proved crucial in helping UNC overcome the four-goal deficit.
McCool scored her first goal and Hazar quickly followed. Hazar then helped cap a 3-0 run when she assisted on Katie Hoeg's goal that cut Maryland's lead to one. The Terrapins answered with back-to-back goals. But McCool scored two of the Tar Heels' next three goals, tying the game at 9 early in the second half.
Despite those efforts, UNC trailed 15-13 when Ortega lined up for a free-position opportunity with less than four minutes left.
At that point, the Tar Heels were 1-for-7 on such chances. But Ortega converted, and after a key defensive stop, McCool sent the game into overtime on her goal with 22 seconds left.
"When you play a team like Maryland," Jenny Levy said, "they'll challenge you to see what you know and how good you are at the things you're supposed to be doing on the field, whether it's defense, midfield or offense. I really loved the challenge today … and thought the toughness and grit to come back from down two goals down the stretch was great."
UNC's loss at James Madison came in double overtime. The Tar Heels had opportunities to win then. And in their first extra-time contest since, they capitalized on their first scoring chance, needing only 43 seconds to secure the momentous win on McCool's fourth and final goal.
Before the season, Levy said she'd learn a lot about this team and its identity early on. Although it's just one game, Saturday's win lent itself to takeaways, as UNC battled through adversity and received contributions from its veterans and multiple young players.
The Tar Heels are still figuring out who they are, and they'll learn more on March 3, when they host No. 4 Florida. But the win over Maryland did confirm something about this team.
"It proves we lost to JMU, but that doesn't mean it's going to define our season," Ortega said. "I just think it shows we're here, we're present and we want to win as bad as anyone else does."
Â
They met at a North Carolina women's lacrosse camp, where Jamie Ortega, then a standout at Centereach (N.Y.) High, played on a team with Marie McCool.
They stayed in touch over the years. Their relationship blossomed. And when Ortega, recognized as the top incoming freshman attacker in the nation by Inside Lacrosse, joined the Tar Heels last fall, she began an apprenticeship under McCool that has extended through the first two weeks of the 2018 season.
Subsequently, their on-field chemistry has improved.
"Every time we play in practice, I always know where she'll be and she knows where I am," Ortega said. "The more we practice together and play together, it just keeps growing."
That hasn't been more evident than it was Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.
With UNC and Maryland, the winners of the last five national championships, tied at 15 after 60 minutes, assistant coach Josh Dionne designed a play for Ortega and McCool before overtime. The Terrapins had constantly slid toward Ortega, the scorer of four goals. And if they did again, she knew McCool would be open.
Carolina first needed to win the draw. But once Emma Trenchard accomplished that, the play unfolded as expected, with Ortega receiving the ball on the right side of the goal, drawing a double team and easily finding McCool in front of the net.
"Jamie had her eyes up, and I was wide open," McCool said. "I was so open that I paused when I caught it and was like, 'Fake and shoot, Marie. Fake and shoot.'"
McCool's shot hit the left pipe. Like 11 of her previous 14 shots, she thought she'd missed. Yet this time, the ball ricocheted into the back of the goal, sealing a 16-15 win and igniting a warranted celebration by the Tar Heels.
The victory marked UNC's first over Maryland in the regular season since 2014. It also ended the top-ranked Terrapins' 25-game overall and 24-game road winning streaks.
But most importantly, it was the third straight win for a relatively inexperienced Tar Heel squad that opened the season with a loss at James Madison after graduating 11 seniors off last year's team.
"We lost to JMU a couple of weeks ago, and I think people were doubting us," McCool said. "Honestly, JMU is a great team, so I don't think people are realizing that. I think this game definitely proves how great we can be and also how great JMU is.Â
"We had a lot of things to fix from that JMU game. We were young, and that was the first game for our four freshmen starters. So this is a great statement."
And one that came with its fair share of obstacles.
UNC seized a 3-1 lead with a goal by Ortega and two by fellow freshman Ally Mastroianni. But Maryland answered with a 6-0 run, pushing its lead to 7-3 with 17:34 left in the first period.
For many Tar Heels, Saturday was their introduction to the rivalry with the Terrapins. That wasn't the case for McCool and Ela Hazar, whose experience proved crucial in helping UNC overcome the four-goal deficit.
McCool scored her first goal and Hazar quickly followed. Hazar then helped cap a 3-0 run when she assisted on Katie Hoeg's goal that cut Maryland's lead to one. The Terrapins answered with back-to-back goals. But McCool scored two of the Tar Heels' next three goals, tying the game at 9 early in the second half.
Despite those efforts, UNC trailed 15-13 when Ortega lined up for a free-position opportunity with less than four minutes left.
At that point, the Tar Heels were 1-for-7 on such chances. But Ortega converted, and after a key defensive stop, McCool sent the game into overtime on her goal with 22 seconds left.
"When you play a team like Maryland," Jenny Levy said, "they'll challenge you to see what you know and how good you are at the things you're supposed to be doing on the field, whether it's defense, midfield or offense. I really loved the challenge today … and thought the toughness and grit to come back from down two goals down the stretch was great."
UNC's loss at James Madison came in double overtime. The Tar Heels had opportunities to win then. And in their first extra-time contest since, they capitalized on their first scoring chance, needing only 43 seconds to secure the momentous win on McCool's fourth and final goal.
Before the season, Levy said she'd learn a lot about this team and its identity early on. Although it's just one game, Saturday's win lent itself to takeaways, as UNC battled through adversity and received contributions from its veterans and multiple young players.
The Tar Heels are still figuring out who they are, and they'll learn more on March 3, when they host No. 4 Florida. But the win over Maryland did confirm something about this team.
"It proves we lost to JMU, but that doesn't mean it's going to define our season," Ortega said. "I just think it shows we're here, we're present and we want to win as bad as anyone else does."
Â
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attacker
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder/Defender
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