University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Set to Host Virginia in NCAA Quarterfinal
May 10, 2002 | Women's Lacrosse
May 10, 2002
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No. 3 seed North Carolina (16-2)
vs.
Virginia (15-3)
Date & Time: Sunday, May 12, 2002, 1 p.m.
Site: Henry Stadium (artificial turf/1,086), Chapel Hill, N.C.
Carolina's Series Record vs. Virginia: UNC leads, 6-4
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com); Virginia (www.virginiasports.com)
Carolina Hosts Virginia with Final Four Berth on the Line
The University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team, seeded No. 3 in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, will host Atlantic Coast Conference rival Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Henry Stadium in the NCAA quarterfinals. A Final Four berth is at stake for the second meeting of the season between the two ACC opponents.
The Tar Heels are seeking their third Final Four berth in their program's seven-year history. Carolina reached the national semifinals in 1997 and '98.
On March 23 at Virginia, the Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels, 11-8, going on to finish 3-0 in the ACC regular season. Carolina has not lost since that trip to Charlottesville, winning the ACC Tournament and its last 11 games to equal a school record.
In the final IWLCA national rankings, Carolina (16-2) was ranked No. 3 and Virginia (15-3) was No. 4.
Tar Heels Run Past UMBC in Opening Round
Kellie Thompson scored an NCAA Tournament-record eight goals and added two assists as Carolina defeated Maryland-Baltimore County, 22-6, on May 9 in NCAA Tournament opening-round action at Henry Stadium.
With the win, Carolina (16-2) set a new school record with their 16th win of the season and equalled a school record with its 11th win in a row. UMBC fell to12-4 to end the season after its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.
The Tar Heels tied a school record with 22 goals in the game and came within one goal of the NCAA Tournament single-game record, set on two previous occasions.
Thompson's eight goals and 10 total points both are single-game school records. With her third goal of the game at the 5:48 mark, Thompson broke her own school record with her 52nd score of the season. She now has 57 goals on the year.
Thompson also broke the UNC career scoring record on Thursday afternoon. She now has 215 career points in her four-year Tar Heel career, breaking the previous UNC mark of 211 set by Erin McGinnis (1996-99).
"We're glad that we performed well today," Carolina head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy after the game. " I thought the team did a good job playing as a unit. I thought we did a really good job of not sitting back and waiting for the game to come to us. Something we really focused on today was pushing the tempo from the defense up to our offense."
Record-Setting Game for Thompson vs. UMBC
Senior midfielder Kellie Thompson scored an NCAA Tournament-record eight goals and added two assists as Carolina defeated UMBC on Thursday in Chapel Hill. The NCAA Tournament single-game record for points by an individual is 11, set last year by Maryland's Jen Adams.
Thompson's eight goals and 10 total points both are single-game UNC records. With her third goal of the game at the 5:48 mark, Thompson broke her own school record with her 52nd score of the season. She now has 57 goals on the year.
Thompson also broke the UNC career scoring record against UMBC. She now has 215 points in her four-year Tar Heel career, breaking the previous UNC mark of 211 set by Erin McGinnis (1996-99). She is already Carolina's career goals leader with 156. The previous record was 149 by McGinnis.
Thompson was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team in April after totaling eight goals and one assist in UNC's two Tournament wins. She had five goals and an assist in the semifinals versus Duke and three goals in the championship game against Maryland.
McPike Tears Right ACL; Will Miss UVa Game
Carolina senior Christine McPike, the 2002 ACC Player of the Year, 2002 ACC Tournament MVP and one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy (given to the national player of the year), went down with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament with 18:20 left in the first half of the NCAA first-round win over UMBC and Carolina leading, 8-0.
McPike was taken to UNC Hospitals for examination before returning to the Carolina bench late in the game on crutches and wearing an air cast. She will not play in Sunday's NCAA quarterfinal game versus Virginia and will be re-evaluated by UNC doctors on Monday.
Five NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances in Seven Years
With their NCAA first-round win over UMBC on Thursday, the Tar Heels clinched their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in their seventh year as a varsity program. Carolina has earned an NCAA bid in each of the last six seasons, missing the Tournament only in its inaugural varsity season of 1996. In five of those last six seasons (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002), the Tar Heels reached the NCAA Tournament quartefinals.
In '97 and '98, UNC reached the NCAA Final Four.
New School Record for Wins in a Season
Carolina enters Sunday's game against Virginia with an overall record of 16-2. The 16 wins are a new school record for most wins in a season, eclipsing the prior mark of 15, set in 1998 when the Tar Heels made their second straight Final Four appearance.
11-Game Winning Streak Equals School Record
Carolina's win over UMBC on Thursday was its 11th in a row, equaling the school record 11-game winning streak (set in 1997 on the way to the first Final Four in school history). A victory over Virginia on Sunday would set a new mark for longest winning streak.
Tar Heels Enter NCAA Tournament as No. 3 Seed
The University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team was seeded No. 3 in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, receiving an at-large bid to the 16-team tournament field (the ACC does not receive one of the seven automatic bids, but all four ACC teams were selected for the NCAA Tournament). The Tar Heels were ranked No. 3 in the final Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll of the season.
"We're thrilled to be the third seed and host the first weekend," Carolina head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy said upon release of the bids. "We've completed a solid regular season and achieved one of our team goals when we won the ACC Tournament. But our ultimate goal is the national title and there is a lot of lacrosse left to be played. All 16 teams in the tournament enter with a clean slate, and it will be interesting to see how things shake out. I think it will be an extremely competitive tournament."
The Series - Carolina vs. Virginia
Carolina leads the all-time series with Virginia, 6-4, and have won five of the last seven games between the two schools. The Tar Heels are 3-0 against the Cavaliers in games played in Chapel Hill, including wins during the 1997, 1999 and 2001 regular seasons.
UNC won the only previous NCAA Tournament meeting between the two schools, a 12-11 win in three overtime periods in the NCAA quarterfinals in Charlottesville.
Earlier this season in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers jumped out to a 5-0 lead while the defense kept UNC off the scoreboard for the first 22:59 of the game. The Wahoos led, 9-3, with 24:13 left in the second half. Carolina battled back to cut the lead but could not take the lead, losing 11-8. Christine McPike, who broke her nose in the first half and returned to the field in the second half, scored three goals despite missing much of the middle of the action. Lindsay Stone had two goals and an assist for UNC. Amy Appelt scored five goals and had an assist for UVa.
Carolina in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels have an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 4-5. UNC has reached the NCAA semifinals twice - in 1997 and 1998 and the quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons.
A program in only its seventh season as a varsity team, North Carolina is making an impressive sixth successive trip to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship and fifth quarterfinal appearance this year.
The Tar Heels have an all-time tournament record of 4-5, including 3-1 at home, 1-2 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites.
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