University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 4 Seed Tar Heels To Host No. 5 Loyola In NCAA Quarterfinal
May 12, 2000 | Women's Lacrosse
May 12, 2000
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team has earned the No. 4 seed in the 2000 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament, the NCAA announced on May 7. The Tar Heels received an opening-round bye and will host No. 5 Loyola on Sunday at Henry Stadium in Chapel Hill for the right to go to the NCAA Final Four. The Greyhounds defeated Delaware, 14-4, on Thursday to advance to the second round game in Chapel Hill.
"We're really excited about the opportunity to get our fourth NCAA bid," UNC head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy said. "It's nice that we get a bye since we're in final exams this week. I think it will be a very competitive tournament, with teams one through twelve all very capable of advancing to the Final Four."
The Carolina squad, which is in its fifth year as a varsity team, is making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tar Heels are aiming for their third Final Four appearance in the last four seasons, having reached the national semifinals in both 1997 and 1998.
"We played a very tough schedule this year," Slingluff Levy said. "I hope the tough schedule will prepare us for the tournament. I'm glad the NCAA Committee rewarded us for our schedule because although we did have five losses, we had some very good wins as well."
UNC is one of four Atlantic Coast Conference teams named to the NCAA Tournament field, and all four ACC schools will be playing Sunday for the right to go to the NCAA Final Four.
Maryland, the five-time defending national champions, are the tournament's top seed and will play Georgetown on Sunday in College Park, Md. Duke and Virginia also received bids. The Blue Devils defeated Dartmouth on Thursday and play at Princeton on Sunday. Virginia defeated Boston University on Thursday and will play at James Madison on Sunday.
Carolina, which is ranked No. 4 in this week's IWLCA national rankings, has a record of 12-5 this season. UNC won the ACC regular season title and reached the championship game of the ACC Tournament. During the season, the Tar Heels defeated four opponents who were ranked in the top five nationally at the time of the contest - No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Dartmouth, No. 3 Virginia and No. 3 Duke.
Carolina in the NCAA Tournament
A program in only its fifth season as a varsity team, North Carolina
is making an impressive fourth successive trip to the NCAA Women's
Lacrosse Championship this year.
The Tar Heels have an all-time tournament record of 2-3, including 1-0 at home, 1-1 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites.
UNC advanced to the NCAA semifinals in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons. In 1999, the Tar Heels lost at Georgetown in the first round.
Carolina vs. Loyola
UNC leads the alltime series with Loyola, 3-1, including an 8-6 win
earlier this season in Chapel Hill. After losing to Loyola, 10-8, in
the 1997 NCAA Final Four, the Tar Heels have defeated the Greyhounds
three straight times -- 10-4 in Chapel Hill in 1998, 13-6 in Baltimore
in 1999 and 8-6 earlier this year in Chapel Hill.
Tar Heels Reach ACC Championship Game
Carolina, which won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title
for the second time in three years, defeated Duke in the semifinals and
reached the finals of the ACC Tournament on Apr. 23 before losing to No.
1-ranked Maryland at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md.
In the 7-6 win in the semis, Kristin Off scored three second-half goals, including the game-winner with 3:54 remaining in regulation, to lead the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels over No. 4-seeded Duke. Off scored the game-winner on a beautiful assist from Julie Kickham, who began the play by cutting toward the right corner of the field. She fed Off, who took the pass in front of the net in stride and scored with a quick flick of her stick. Carolina trailed, 5-3, at halftime. In addition to Off's three goals, Erin McInnes also scored twice for UNC in the game.
In the finals, Maryland won their second straight ACC title with a 17-6 win over the Tar Heels. Terrapin junior Jen Adams, the ACC Player of the Year, scored six goals and had two assists and was named ACC Tournament MVP. The Terps took a quick, 7-1, lead in the first 13 minutes of the game before Carolina battled back to cut the lead to 8-5 just before halftime. Carolina, which after a 14-13 overtime win in Chapel Hill on March 5 is the only team to defeat Maryland this season, scored one goal in the second half. Amy Havrilla scored four goals and had an assist for Carolina in the game.
Tar Heels Amy Havrilla, Kristin Off and Jennie Voishan were named to the 2000 ACC All-Tournament Team. Havrilla tallied four goals and an assist in UNC's loss to Maryland in the championship game. Off scored three goals, including the game-winner with 3:54 left in Carolina's 7-6 semifinal win over Duke. Off scored three of the Tar Heels' last four goals against the Blue Devils. Voishan was a defensive stalwart for UNC and was named All-ACC Tournament for the second year in a row. In Carolina's win over Duke, Voishan led the Heels with five ground balls, five caused turnovers and tied for the team lead with three draw controls.
Mohler Named All-ACC for Second Straight 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. She was named All-ACC on Apr. 21.
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 (26) and scoring (34 points) and is tied for third on the team in assists (eight). Mohler leads the team in draw controls (33) and ground balls (46). She also is second on the team in caused turnovers (18).
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 career highs this year in goals (35), assists (19) and
points (54), leading Carolina in all three categories. Thompson is
within reach of the UNC record for most assists in a season (22 by Erin
McGinnis in 1996).
Thompson tied a school record by scoring six goals in Carolina's 14-13 win over No. 16 Penn State on Apr. 13 in Baltimore. It was the fifth time in the program's history that a Tar Heel player has scored six goals in a game.
Off's Clutch Goals Lead to Wins over No. 1 Maryland, No. 3 Duke
Senior tri-captain Kristin Off has scored some of Carolina's biggest
goals of the season in 2000. Off is sixth on the team in scoring this
year with 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points.
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 on March 5. On the winning goal, Erin McInnes ran behind the Maryland net and fed Off, who almost immediately deposited the ball in the lower left corner of the goal for the win. The loss is Maryland's only defeat of the season entering the NCAA Tournament.
Off also scored three second-half goals including the game-winner with 3:54 remaining in regulation to lead the Tar Heels past No. 3 Duke in the semifinals of the ACC women's lacrosse tournament in College Park, Md., on Apr. 22. Off scored three goals in the second half to help Carolina recover from a 5-3 halftime deficit. She scored three of the final four goals of the game including two unanswered in the final 5:18 to lift the Tar Heels to the victory. Off scored the Tar Heels' fourth, sixth (to tie the game at six) and seventh goals.
MacNair Healthy for NCAA Play
Senior tri-captain Gray MacNair, who has missed Carolina's last three
games with a hyperextended knee, has been cleared medically and should
be 100 percent healthy for the NCAA Tournament. MacNair, a mainstay of
the UNC midfield, hyperextended her right knee in Carolina's 7-6 win
over No. 3 Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals. She sat out the ACC
championship game versus No. 1 Maryland and UNC's last two
regular-season contests, wins at Massachusetts and No. 2 Dartmouth.
Mohler, Wilkinson Named All-ACC
Tar Heel senior midfielder Meghann Mohler and sophomore defender
Porter Wilkinson each were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference
team on Apr. 21 at the ACC awards banquet in College Park, Md.
Mohler earned All-ACC honors for the second year in a row. One of Carolina's three team captains, Mohler ranks second on the UNC team in scoring and goals and leads the squad in ground balls and draw controls.
Wilkinson is Carolina's defensive leader and one of the better defenders in the ACC. In her second year as a starter, she is one of Carolin's most durable players and has started 30 of UNC's 32 games over the last two years. She is among the Tar Heels' leaders in ground balls and caused turnovers and often marks the opposing team's best offensive players.
Gaines Named ACC Rookie of the Year
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. She
was named Carolina's first Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year
at the ACC awards banquet on Apr. 21 in College Park, Md., despite being
hampered in the last weeks of the season with an injured quadricep. The
injury has healed and Gaines has been cleared for NCAA Tournament play.
Gaines is fourth among Tar Heels in goals (19) and scoring (26 points).
Mohler, Wilkinson, Thompson Earn All-Region Honors
Tar Heels Meghann Mohler, Porter Wilkinson and Kellie Thompson each
have received 2000 South Region All-America honors, the IWLCA announced
on May 12. Mohler and Wilkinson earned first-team honors at midfield
and defense, respectively. Thompson earned second-team honors at
attack.
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 61-23, 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
Carolina is ranked No. 4 in the final IWLCA poll of the regular
season. The No. 4 ranking is the Tar Heels' highest of the season.
Carolina in the IWLCA Poll This Season
| 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 |
| Apr. 24 | 6 |
| May 1 | 4 |
| May 10 | 4 |
Tar Heel Honors:
The following Tar Heels have earned accolades and awards this season:
- Betsy Gaines: ACC Rookie of the Year
- Amy Havrilla: ACC Player of the Week (March 27)
- Gray MacNair: UNC Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete Award
- Meghann Mohler: All-ACC Team, First-Team All-South region
- Kellie Thompson: ACC Player of the Week (March 6), Second-Team All-South region
- Porter Wilkinson: All-ACC Team, First-Team All-South region
Another Winning Season Against Tough Schedule
With a season record of 12-5 entering the NCAA Tournament, Carolina
has ensured a .500-or-better record for the sixth time in its six
seasons as a varsity team.
UNC's success has come despite annually playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, regarded as the best women's lacrosse conference in the nation. This season, 13 of Carolina's 17 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, No. 16 Penn State, No. 3 Duke, No. 1 Maryland and No. 2 Dartmouth.
