University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina is returning to the NCAA semifinals after missing the championship weekend in 2017.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Lessons Learned
May 21, 2018 | Women's Lacrosse, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
For the past year, they'd felt it, the lingering sting of defeat.
On May 20, 2017, the North Carolina women's lacrosse team fell 16-14 against unranked and unseeded Navy in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, ending UNC's quest for back-to-back national titles. The loss also marked the final game for 11 Tar Heel seniors.
Since then, the returning players from last year's squad have used that defeat as motivation. It pushed Carolina to a 12-3 regular season. Then came a third straight ACC title.
But after beating Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Marie McCool said the sour taste of the Navy loss was never more palpable this season than it was heading into Saturday's quarterfinal game against Northwestern.
"This whole week I've been thinking about the feeling that I felt last year after we went down to Navy," she said. "That's definitely motivating for me, and I know it is for every other person on our team. Obviously, the freshman weren't there, but they were still watching. I think it was a shock to the entire lacrosse world."
That loss, McCool said, was one UNC needed to learn from. And on the same stage where their season abruptly ended a year ago, the Tar Heels showed they have.
Behind Taylor Moreno's 17 saves and six multi-goal performances, Carolina topped Northwestern 19-14, earning its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament final four in the last 10 seasons. It will be the 10th appearance in school history.
Led by six seniors and reliant on multiple underclassmen, this UNC team is as talented as any. So a final four trip might not come as a surprise. But the Tar Heels know, perhaps better than any team in the country, that it takes more than skill to reach the NCAA semifinals.
"Being in the Elite Eight, we completely took that for granted last year, looked past it," Naomi Lerner said. "But this year, I think we did a good job of staying focused."
That proved necessary against Northwestern.
Entering Saturday, the Wildcats had averaged 19.1 goals over their previous eight games. They'd scored 24 and 21 goals in their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games, respectively. In those, they'd been led by Selena Lasota, who had tallied 17 goals.
Carolina held Northwestern to two goals through the first nine minutes Saturday, stretching its lead to 6-2. But the Wildcats tied the game at 6 just moments later. The two teams went back and forth for the next 10 minutes, with Northwestern cutting UNC's lead to 9-8 late in the first half. Then Moreno seized control.
Moreno made four saves in the final 5:08 before halftime. Three came on shots taken at point-blank range. The Tar Heels capitalized on those plays, and entered the break with an 11-8 lead.
Northwestern never pulled within fewer than two goals in the second half. In that span, Moreno added seven more saves, helping her tie her career high of 17. Her 17 saves were also the most by a Carolina player in any NCAA Tournament game since at least 1999.
"It's not just (Saturday)," said Jenny Levy of Moreno, who finished with double-digit saves for the fourth straight game. "This isn't something that we're not used to seeing. Taylor is giving us a huge lift in the back.
"Everybody has a tremendous amount of confidence in her. Making the one-on-none saves gives us an opportunity to build momentum and attack the other way. She's a margin for us for sure."
Before the season, the goalkeeper position was perhaps the biggest question mark facing UNC after two-time National Goalkeeper of the Year Caylee Waters graduated. The Tar Heels also lost key seniors on an offense that set single-season school records for goals, assists and points.
This year's team has already surpassed those marks.
In addition to Moreno, a redshirt freshman, three true freshmen start for Carolina. Three others consistently come off the bench. With four sophomores also in crucial roles, UNC has been regularly labeled a young team. But the Tar Heels don't consider themselves as such, especially this far along in the season.
Still, chemistry isn't instantaneous. And as they developed it, both on and off the field, they bonded over one common goal.
"I think just from Day 1 – young guys, old guys, top to bottom – we all just bought in to a collective vision we had for the team," Lerner said. "We knew we weren't going to get there in one day, but we had like ninth months to get to where we wanted to be – and that's Memorial Day weekend up at Stony Brook."
Awaiting Carolina there is James Madison. The Dukes defeated UNC 15-14 in double overtime on Feb. 10. This time, when they meet at 5 p.m. Friday, they'll be playing for a spot in the national championship game.
But Saturday, the Tar Heels weren't looking ahead. Instead, they celebrated.
As the final seconds ticked off the Kenan Stadium clock, Moreno, who grew up about 20 miles from Stony Brook in Huntington, N.Y., received the ball. She then launched it downfield, prompting her teammates to swarm her.
"Going home," Moreno said. "That was what was going through my head. The Final Four, I've obviously never experienced it. And just chucking it up, we did it when we won ACCs, and I think it's one of those things that kind of pumps everybody up. It's just the little cherry on top."
And in that moment, they didn't feel the sting anymore.
For the past year, they'd felt it, the lingering sting of defeat.
On May 20, 2017, the North Carolina women's lacrosse team fell 16-14 against unranked and unseeded Navy in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, ending UNC's quest for back-to-back national titles. The loss also marked the final game for 11 Tar Heel seniors.
Since then, the returning players from last year's squad have used that defeat as motivation. It pushed Carolina to a 12-3 regular season. Then came a third straight ACC title.
But after beating Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Marie McCool said the sour taste of the Navy loss was never more palpable this season than it was heading into Saturday's quarterfinal game against Northwestern.
"This whole week I've been thinking about the feeling that I felt last year after we went down to Navy," she said. "That's definitely motivating for me, and I know it is for every other person on our team. Obviously, the freshman weren't there, but they were still watching. I think it was a shock to the entire lacrosse world."
That loss, McCool said, was one UNC needed to learn from. And on the same stage where their season abruptly ended a year ago, the Tar Heels showed they have.
Behind Taylor Moreno's 17 saves and six multi-goal performances, Carolina topped Northwestern 19-14, earning its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament final four in the last 10 seasons. It will be the 10th appearance in school history.
Led by six seniors and reliant on multiple underclassmen, this UNC team is as talented as any. So a final four trip might not come as a surprise. But the Tar Heels know, perhaps better than any team in the country, that it takes more than skill to reach the NCAA semifinals.
"Being in the Elite Eight, we completely took that for granted last year, looked past it," Naomi Lerner said. "But this year, I think we did a good job of staying focused."
That proved necessary against Northwestern.
Entering Saturday, the Wildcats had averaged 19.1 goals over their previous eight games. They'd scored 24 and 21 goals in their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games, respectively. In those, they'd been led by Selena Lasota, who had tallied 17 goals.
Carolina held Northwestern to two goals through the first nine minutes Saturday, stretching its lead to 6-2. But the Wildcats tied the game at 6 just moments later. The two teams went back and forth for the next 10 minutes, with Northwestern cutting UNC's lead to 9-8 late in the first half. Then Moreno seized control.
Moreno made four saves in the final 5:08 before halftime. Three came on shots taken at point-blank range. The Tar Heels capitalized on those plays, and entered the break with an 11-8 lead.
Northwestern never pulled within fewer than two goals in the second half. In that span, Moreno added seven more saves, helping her tie her career high of 17. Her 17 saves were also the most by a Carolina player in any NCAA Tournament game since at least 1999.
"It's not just (Saturday)," said Jenny Levy of Moreno, who finished with double-digit saves for the fourth straight game. "This isn't something that we're not used to seeing. Taylor is giving us a huge lift in the back.
"Everybody has a tremendous amount of confidence in her. Making the one-on-none saves gives us an opportunity to build momentum and attack the other way. She's a margin for us for sure."
Before the season, the goalkeeper position was perhaps the biggest question mark facing UNC after two-time National Goalkeeper of the Year Caylee Waters graduated. The Tar Heels also lost key seniors on an offense that set single-season school records for goals, assists and points.
This year's team has already surpassed those marks.
In addition to Moreno, a redshirt freshman, three true freshmen start for Carolina. Three others consistently come off the bench. With four sophomores also in crucial roles, UNC has been regularly labeled a young team. But the Tar Heels don't consider themselves as such, especially this far along in the season.
Still, chemistry isn't instantaneous. And as they developed it, both on and off the field, they bonded over one common goal.
"I think just from Day 1 – young guys, old guys, top to bottom – we all just bought in to a collective vision we had for the team," Lerner said. "We knew we weren't going to get there in one day, but we had like ninth months to get to where we wanted to be – and that's Memorial Day weekend up at Stony Brook."
Awaiting Carolina there is James Madison. The Dukes defeated UNC 15-14 in double overtime on Feb. 10. This time, when they meet at 5 p.m. Friday, they'll be playing for a spot in the national championship game.
But Saturday, the Tar Heels weren't looking ahead. Instead, they celebrated.
As the final seconds ticked off the Kenan Stadium clock, Moreno, who grew up about 20 miles from Stony Brook in Huntington, N.Y., received the ball. She then launched it downfield, prompting her teammates to swarm her.
"Going home," Moreno said. "That was what was going through my head. The Final Four, I've obviously never experienced it. And just chucking it up, we did it when we won ACCs, and I think it's one of those things that kind of pumps everybody up. It's just the little cherry on top."
And in that moment, they didn't feel the sting anymore.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalkeeper
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