North Carolina
Maryland
Tar Heels Fall to Terps in ACC Semifinals, 13-5
April 18, 2003 | Women's Lacrosse
April 18, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The University of Maryland women's lacrosse team advanced to the ACC championship game for the sixth time in seven years with a dominating 13-5 victory over the fourth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on a rainy afternoon at Klockner Stadium on Friday.
Recently announced ACC Player of the Year Kelly Coppedge and fellow All-ACC selection Sonia Judd each scored four goals and added an assist to lead all scorers with five points. All-ACC goalie Alexis Venechanos continued her solid play with 11 saves, while freshman Delia Cox also tallied a pair of goals and an assist.
Brooke Dieringer led the Tar Heels with two goals. Beth Ames, Allison Higgins and Melissa McCarthy each added one goal.
"We just made too many unforced errors today to beat a team as good as Maryland," UNC head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy said after the game. "We committed too many turnovers in the midfield and on the offensive end."
Maryland jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 17:33 in as Judd was on fire early, tallying three goals before 15 minutes had elapsed in the contest. Cox chipped in the other goal in the four goal run before Carolina got on the board for the first time as Dieringer scored with 12:12 left in the first half.
Maryland poured on the offense again after the Tar Heels scored the first goal of the second half, netting the next seven goals, including two by Coppedge along with single goals by Acacia Walker, Judd, Jessica Dorney, Cox and Annie Collins to take a 13-2 lead with 6:31 left in the game.
Carolina mounted a mild comeback scoring the the next three goals to bring the Heels to within 13-5 with 1:30 left, but Maryland's lead was too big for the 14th-ranked Tar Heels to overcome.
The Terps, the nation's No. 2 team in the latest IWLCA poll, posted their best defensive outing in an ACC game since they held Virginia to just five goals in a 13-5 victory on April 25, 1999 in the ACC Tournament. It was also the fewest goals No. 14 North Carolina has scored against the Terps since a 14-2 Maryland win on March 9, 1996.
Carolina will return to action next Thursday at 1:30 p.m. against Massachusetts in Chapel Hill.
TEAM STATS
Shots: Maryland 22, UNC 16
Saves: Maryland 16, UNC 2
Draw Controls: Maryland 12, UNC 8
Ground Balls: Maryland 18, UNC 15
Turnovers: Maryland 15, UNC 15
Caused Turnovers: Maryland 8, UNC 11
Free Position Shots: Maryland 2, UNC 5
Fouls: Maryland 17, UNC 14
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Maryland Scorers (Goals-Asst.-Pts.)
Sonia Judd (4-1--5)
Kelly Coppedge (4-1--5)
Delia Cox (2-1--3)
Acacia Walker (1-0--1)
Jessica Dorney (1-0--1)
Annie Collins (1-0--1)
North Carolina Scorers (Goals-Asst.-Pts.)
Brooke Dieringer (2-0--2)
Allison Higgins (1-0--1)
Melissa McCarthy (1-0--1)
Beth Ames (1-0--1)
Brooke Young (0-1--1)
GOALIES
Maryland Goalies (Saves, GA, Min.)
Alexis Venechanos (11, 5, 60)
UNC Goalies (Saves, GA, Min.)
Katelyn Hoffman (1, 6, 30)
Margaret Garofalo (1, 7, 30)
