University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
9-1ACC:2-0
Boston College
8-4ACC:1-3
Carolina Battles To Win Over Boston College
March 25, 2017 | Women's Lacrosse
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| Postgame Infographic |
CHAPEL HILL – The second-ranked North Carolina women's lacrosse team earned a top-20 win Saturday, beating No. 19 Boston College 15-13 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on a sunny afternoon at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play with the win, while BC fell to 8-4 (1-3 ACC).
“Boston College is a great team,” UNC coach Jenny Levy said after her team pulled out the win. “They play a lot of seniors and a lot of juniors who have played together for a long time.”
Senior Molly Hendrick and junior Marie McCool led UNC with three goals each. Senior Sydney Holman, junior Ela Hazar and sophomore Kara Klages each scored two, and the Tar Heels got single goals from senior Sammy Jo Tracy, junior Maggie Bill and sophomore Caroline Wakefield.
Recent history would suggest that when UNC and Boston College square off in women's lacrosse, it's going to be exciting. Carolina won 13-12 on the road last year, and the Eagles left with a 10-9 overtime win the last time they visited Chapel Hill. Saturday's game followed suit from the opening minutes. After BC's Kayla O'Connor scored in the second minute of play, UNC's Hazar got back-to-back goals to give the Tar Heels a 2-1 lead. The Eagles tied it at 2-2 four minutes later, and the Tar Heels didn't lead again until the second half.
Near the end of the first half, BC stretched its lead to three, 6-3. Carolina got a shot of momentum before halftime when Holman scored on a free position shot with one second on the clock, but they still trailed 6-4 at the break. “We were down and turning over the ball and not capitalizing on the great defense we were playing,” Levy said. “At that point the players need to step up and do their job and understand what's going on on the field.”
The Tar Heels came out of the break and scored 19 seconds into the half to close the gap to one. Hendrick's free position shot goal made it 6-5. BC answered quickly, with Kate Weeks scoring her fourth of five goals on the day to again give the Eagles a two-point cushion, 7-5 with 28:14 to play.
Klages, who had scored just twice in the season's first nine games, scored back-to-back goals within a 21-second span to tie the game at 7-7 and inspire her teammates on the sidelines to fire up a round of the “Tar!” “Heels!” cheer with the fans in the stands. BC retook the lead at 8-7 but Carolina answered with a man-down goal from Tracy, assisted by Klages, and the Tar Heels never trailed again. Tracy's goal kicked off a 5-0 Carolina run that put UNC up 12-8 with 17:13 to play. Boston College got two in a row to inch back within two, but UNC used a three-goal run to pull ahead by five, 15-10. The Eagles scored three straight in the final four minutes to make the final score 15-13.
Senior goalkeeper Caylee Waters finished with 12 saves and provided a steadying influence late in the game as the Tar Heels fought to preserve their lead. “The play of Caylee down the stretch when things start to get crazy is something that's her strength,” Levy said. “We know she'll play great at that point.”
After playing their last four games at home, and winning all four, the Tar Heels now finish out the regular season with four of their next five games on the road. That swing starts in Blacksburg, Va., where Carolina meets Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
