North Carolina
Virginia
Tar Heels Drop Overtime Decision at Virginia, 13-12
March 13, 2010 | Women's Lacrosse
March 13, 2010
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Sophomore Ainsley Baker scored a career-high five goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the eighth-ranked Cavaliers over previously unbeaten and third-ranked North Carolina in women's lacrosse action on Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The win improves the Cavaliers to 4-2 on the season, 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carolina falls to 6-1 and 0-1 in the league.
For Carolina, Becky Lynch led the way with four goals and two assists, while Laura Zimmermann added three more scores and Kristen Taylor had two for the Tar Heels. Jenn Russell had a goal and two assists. Corey Donohoe and Kira Cannizzaro each scored once for UNC, while Emily Garrity dished out one assist.
Baker's game-high five goals led six Cavaliers in scoring. Sophomore Charlie Finnigan added three goals, while Kaitlin Duff chipped in two scores and one assist. Senior Caity Whiteley tacked on one goal and two assists for the Cavaliers, while sophomores Julie Gardner and Josie Owen each had one score. Brittany Kalkstein rounded out the scoring with one assist.
To open the game, Carolina jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead less than three minutes into play with goals coming from Zimmerman, Russell, Lynch and Taylor. The Cavaliers were able to chip into the Tar Heels' lead throughout the half before Baker completed a hat trick to knot the score at eight heading into intermission.
Baker initially got the Cavaliers on the board at the 26:58 mark following UNC's four scores and just 22 seconds after a Virginia timeout.
The goal wasn't enough to halt the Tar Heels' streak though, as Carolina extended its lead to five with back-to-back goals by Lynch and Taylor by the 23:37 mark.
Finnigan responded for Virginia, notching two-unanswered scores of her own, before Carolina's Zimmerman found the back of the net for a seventh time, at 15:18.
Two more from Virginia - the first from Baker and the second from Owen, assisted on by Whiteley - pulled the Cavaliers within two, 5-7, with 12:26 remaining in the half.
Carolina tallied its final goal of the half at 5:45, before the Cavaliers rattled off three straight - all unassisted from Duff, Whiteley and Baker - sending the teams into the intermission with an even 8-8 score.
The Tar Heels started the scoring in the second half with Lynch firing a shot into cage 2:14 into play. Less than one minute later, Duff caused a turnover and raced down the field before finishing off the play by winning a one-on-one battle with UNC goalie Logan Ripley at the 26:49 mark.
Finnigan tacked on another score for the Cavaliers at 21:49, giving Virginia its first lead of the game, 10-9, prompting Carolina to make a goalie change and bring in Britt Giacco briefly.
Baker took advantage of the situation for the Cavaliers less than 10 minutes into the second half, firing her fourth goal into the net, but Carolina brought Ripley back into the cage. Gardner then notched her first goal of the game, converting a free position shot at 15:29, giving Virginia a 12-9 lead.
The Cavaliers' streak was broken at with 13:58 on the clock, as Carolina strung together three straight goals from Donohoe, Zimmerman and Lynch to knot the score at 12 with 6:15 to play. As time wound down, both defenses stepped up in the final minute, forcing an overtime period.
Virginia won the opening draw, but had a shot blocked before redshirt junior Lauren Benner stepped up in cage for the Cavaliers, stopping Carolina's attempt to score.
Baker then found the back of the net for a fifth time, almost two minutes into overtime, to give the Cavaliers the advantage. As time expired, Benner came up with her sixth save of the contest to secure the victory for the Cavaliers, while sophomore Annie Taylor scooped up the ground ball and cleared it from Virginia's defensive end.
The Tar Heels will return to action next Saturday at Georgetown at 1 p.m. in Washington, DC.
