University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke
Tar Heels Down Duke, 12-6, For ACC Regular Season Title
April 18, 2015 | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. – Second-ranked North Carolina got hat tricks from Aly Messinger and Sammy Jo Tracy and beat third-ranked Duke, 12-6, on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium to capture the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship. Maggie Bill added two goals and two assists for the Tar Heels (13-2, 6-1 ACC), who grabbed the top seed in next weekend's ACC Tournament in Charlottesville, Va.
UNC won its fifth game in a row, taking its first regular season ACC championship since 2012 and its sixth overall: 1998 (outright), 2000 (tie), 2006 (tie), 2010 (tie), 2012 (outright) and 2015 (outright).
UNC has won nine of the last 12 meetings in the series vs. Duke, including three of the last four in Durham. The Blue Devils (13-1, 5-2) saw their seven-game home winning streak come to an end and will be the second seed next weekend in Charlottesville. The Blue Devils last had lost at home on April 5, 2014, prior to Friday night.
In addition to the big days for Messinger, Tracy and Bill, Carolina also got a goal and two assists from Sydney Holman, two goals from Kelly Devlin, a goal and an assist from Marie McCool and two assists from Sam McGee.
Kerrin Maurer led Duke with two goals but was forced from the game late in the second half after collecting her second yellow card of the game. Katie Trees had a goal and an assist for the Blue Devils, while Taylor Trimble, Kyra Harney and Maddy Acton each scored once. Maddie Crutchfield had an assist.
Caylee Waters started the game in goal for Carolina and picked up the win to improve to 13-2 this year, making three saves and allowing four goals. Megan Ward played well in the second half, recording three saves and allowing just two goals. The Tar Heels scored 12 goals against Duke goalie Kelsey Duryea, who entered the game allowing 6.71 scores per game.
Duke struck first and led, 1-0, after a goal by Maurer at the 24:43 mark of the first half. The Tar Heels then scored five goals in a row in a span of 8:04 for a 5-1 lead. Acton stopped the Carolina run with an unassisted goal at the 12:47 mark, and Duke went on a 3-0 run of its own to make it 5-4 with 6:23 left in the opening half. Tracy scored her second goal of the night off Holman's second assist with 3:33 left in the half, making it 6-4 Tar Heels. Messinger made it 7-4 Carolina at halftime with her first goal of the night.
The teams traded goals in the first three minutes after halftime before Carolina got three goals in a row from Tracy, Messinger and Bill to give the Tar Heels a five-goal lead at 11-6 with 13:32 to play. UNC out-shot Duke, 13-7, in the second half and 27-18 in the game.
As the top seed in next weekend's ACC Tournament, Carolina will play at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Charlottesville against eighth-seeded Virginia Tech.
