University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 1 Seed Carolina Women's Lacrosse Faces Duke In ACC Tournament
April 20, 2000 | Women's Lacrosse
April 20, 2000
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The 2000 University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team won its second Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship in the last three years and has earned top seed in this weekend's ACC Tournament in College Park, Md. Carolina finished the regular season with an overall record of 9-4 and a 2-1 mark in the ACC. Five-time defending national champion Maryland also finished 2-1 in the conference, but the Tar Heels' 14-13 overtime win over the Terrapins in Chapel Hill on March 5 earned the top seed for UNC. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils will face off on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in College Park. Carolina (9-4, 2-1 ACC) is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Duke (9-3, 1-2 ACC) is the No. 4 seed. In this week's IWLCA national poll, Carolina is ranked No. 6 and Duke is No. 3.
The Series with the Blue Devils
Carolina leads the all-time series with Duke, 3-2, but the Blue Devils have
won two straight in the series. Earlier this season, the Devils earned an 8-7
win in Chapel Hill, UNC's only home loss this season. Duke led, 8-4, with 17:14
left in the game. Carolina rallied with three straight goals in a four-minute
span, including two by freshman Betsy Gaines, but could not score in the game's
final 3:58 and took the 8-7 lose.
Carolina and Duke have never met in the ACC Tournament.
The Series with the Terrapins
Maryland leads the all-time series with Carolina, 5-3. The Terps defeated UNC
in 1996 and '97. The Tar Heels beat Maryland twice in 1998, including a 12-10
win in Charlottesville, Va., in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Terps beat
UNC twice in 1999, and Carolina beat Maryland, 14-13, in overtime earlier this
season in Chapel Hill. Carolina is 0-2 versus Maryland in College Park.
Earlier this season in Chapel Hill, Kristin Off scored with 1:30 left in the fourth overtime period to give the No. 5-ranked Tar Heels a 14-13 win over No. 1 Maryland. The Terrapins had won 28 games in a row prior to the loss. Kellie Thompson had four goals in the game for UNC, while Off scored three times. Meghann Mohler and Gray MacNair each scored twice for Carolina. Jen Adams had three goals and an assist and Allison Comito had a goal and three assists for the Terps.
Maryland has won 51 of their last 54 games, and all three of those losses have come to Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins twice in 1998, on March 8 in Chapel Hill and on Apr. 18 in the ACC Tournament in Charlottesville, Va., and beat Maryland earlier this season in Chapel Hill.
Each of the last two games between Carolina and Maryland have gone to overtime: a 19-17 Terp win in the 1999 ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill and a 14-13 UNC win in Chapel Hill this season.
Carolina and Maryland have split two meetings in the ACC Tournament, with the Tar Heels winning, 12-10, in 1998 and the Terps winning, 19-17, in overtime in 1999.
The Series with the Cavaliers
Carolina leads the all-time series with Virginia, 5-3. The Tar Heels are 0-2
against Virginia in the ACC Tournament, with losses coming in the 1997
semifinals and the 1998 finals.
Carolina in the ACC Tournament
The Tar Heels have an all-time Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament record of
1-3, including a 19-17 overtime loss to Maryland in the 1999 ACC Tournament.
The first ACC Tournament was held in 1997 at Charlottesville, Va. The second-seeded Tar Heels fell to third-seeded Virginia in the tournament semifinals, 9-6. The top-ranked Maryland Terrapins went on to win the first-ever ACC title in women's lacrosse by defeating the host Cavaliers in the finals.
The 1998 ACC Tournament was also held in Charlottesville, Va. The Tar Heels were the No. 1 seed after going 3-0 against ACC teams in the regular season. Carolina defeated fourth-seeded Maryland 12-10 in the semifinals. In the tournament finals the next day, second-seeded Virginia delighted its home crowd by defeating the Tar Heels 9-7.
The 1999 ACC Tournament was held in Chapel Hill on April 24-25 with UNC falling in a semifinal contest to top-seeded Maryland 19-17 in overtime. UNC trailed the Terrapins, 15-8, with less than 15 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Tar Heels scored the last seven goals of regulation to force overtime. However the Terps responded by outscoring UNC 4-2 in the overtime period to advance to the tournament finals. In the finals, Maryland routed Virginia, 13-5.
Mohler a Candidate for ACC Player of the Year
Senior midfielder Meghann Mohler, a first-team All-ACC and second-team
All-America choice last year, has again been one of the nation's top players
this season and is a strong candidate for ACC Player-of-the-Year, All-ACC and
All-America honors.
A four-year starter and Carolina's leader on the field, Mohler has significant responsibilities on both ends of the field. She is second among Tar Heels in goals (21) and scoring (28 points) and is tied for second on the team in assists (seven). Mohler leads the team in draw controls (30), ground balls (38) and shots on goal (49). She also is third on the team in caused turnovers (14).
Mohler has been at her best against ACC teams this year, totalling two goals and an assist in UNC's win over Maryland, two goals in the win at Virginia and three goals in the loss to Duke.
Thompson Leading the Way
Sophomore Kellie Thompson finished fourth on the UNC team in scoring last year
with 26 points on 20 goals and six assists. She already has established new
career highs this year in goals (31), assists (seven) and points (47). She
leads Carolina in all three categories.
Gaines Among the Nation's Best Freshmen
A former star of the U.S. Under-19 team, UNC freshman midfielder Betsy Gaines
has been one of the top freshmen in the country this season.
Gaines is third among Tar Heels in goals (18) and scoring (25 points). Fourteen of her goals have come in the last seven games entering the ACC Tournament, and she has at least one goal in each of those seven games. Gaines is tied for second on the team in assists (seven) and leads UNC in shooting percentage (.692). Six of her 18 goals came in Carolina's three ACC games. She had a goal in the win over Maryland, two goals and an assist in the win over Virginia and three goals and an assist in the loss to Duke.
Head Coach Jenny Slingluff Levy
Now in her fifth season as Carolina's head coach, Jenny Slingluff Levy has
guided the Tar Heel program from its inception. She has a career head coaching
record of 58-22, all at UNC. Slingluff Levy has led the Tar Heels to three NCAA
Tournament appearances and two NCAA Final Fours (1997 and 1998).
In the National Rankings
In this week's national rankings, Carolina is ranked No. 6 by the IWLCA (as of
Apr. 17). Duke is ranked No. 3. This season, Carolina has been ranked as high
as No. 5 by the IWLCA.
Carolina in the IWLCA Poll
| Poll Date | UNC rank |
| Preseason | 5 |
| March 6 | 5 |
| March 13 | 5 |
| March 20 | 7 |
| March 27 | 5 |
| Apr. 3 | 5 |
| Apr. 10 | 6 |
| Apr. 17 | 6 |
Tar Heel Honors:
ACC Player of the Week: Kellie Thompson (March 6), Amy Havrilla (March 27)
Another Winning Season Against Tough Schedule
With a season record of 9-4 entering the ACC Tournament against Duke, Carolina
has ensured a .500-or-better record for the fifth time in its five seasons as a
varsity team. This success has come despite annually playing in the ACC,
regarded as the best women's lacrosse conference in the nation. This season, 10
of Carolina's 13 games have come against ranked teams, No. 7 James Madison, No.
1 Maryland, No. 9 Loyola, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Boston University, No. 11
George Mason, No. 3 Virginia, No. 3 Duke, No. 6 Georgetown and No. 16 Penn
State.
