University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, May 24
Baltimore, Md.
5 PM
North Carolina
14
vs
15
Boston College
Jamie Ortega had five goals and two assists in the loss.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Tar Heels Drop 2OT Heartbreaker To BC In NCAA Semifinal, 15-14
May 24, 2019 | Women's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE –Sam Apuzzo scored just over a minute into the second overtime period to send Boston College into the NCAA championship game with a 15-14 win over North Carolina on Friday night at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University.
The Eagles emerged victorious in a back-and-forth contest likely to be remembered as one of the best games in NCAA Tournament history, ending UNC's season in heartbreaking fashion before a raucous, sellout crowd.
Carolina had clawed back from a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime, and neither team scored in the first six-minute extra stanza.
In the final 15 minutes of the second half and the overtime periods, there were four ties and four lead changes. That late excitement came after an earlier game of runs that saw Carolina start with a 7-1 lead before the Eagles replied with a 9-2 run of their own to take a 10-9 lead.
Jamie Ortega led UNC with five goals and two assists. Kara Klages and Scottie Rose Growney scored three goals each, Katie Hoeg had four assists and Olivia Ferrucci had a goal and three assists. Ally Mastroianni and Gianna Bowe each scored single goals, and Elizabeth Hillman had an assist.
The Eagles (22-1) advanced to the NCAA championship game for the third consecutive year, ending the UNC (17-4) season in the national semifinals for the second year in a row. BC will face top-seeded Maryland in the title game.
KEY MOMENTS
• Carolina took a 6-0 lead and held the Eagles scoreless until the 15:29 mark of the first half.
• After the Tar Heels led, 7-1, the Eagles ended the first half on a 5-1 for an 8-6 UNC lead at the break.
• BC took its first lead at 10-9 with 22:12 remaining in the second half.
• UNC backup goalie Elise Hennessey made two key saves, one with three seconds left to close regulation and one late in the first overtime, and caused two turnovers in an active 29:24 in the cage off the bench.
NOTABLES
• The game was the first NCAA semifinal game to go to overtime since 2012 and the first final four game to hit overtime since Carolina beat Maryland in 3OT in the 2013 final. It was the second national semifinal ever to go to double overtime.
• UNC defender Emma Trenchard limited Tewaaraton Award finalist Sam Apuzzo to two goals and one assist in the game.
• Hennessey (2-1) played the final 29:24 of the game in goal for Carolina in relief of Taylor Moreno, who made 10 saves and allowed 10 goals. Hennessey had four saves, including a save of an Apuzzo shot with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
• Ten of UNC's 14 goals were assisted.
• The Eagles out-shot Carolina, 35-25. The Eagles forced 15 Tar Heel turnovers (while committing 10) and controlled 20 draws (to UNC's 12).
• Carolina is now 4-7 all-time in NCAA semifinal games and has won three of its last five.
• The Tar Heels saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end.
• Carolina is 34-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jenny Levy's 34 NCAA Tournament wins rank fifth in NCAA history.
• The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Boston College, 17-5.
• The attendance for the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse semifinals was a sellout 8,508 – the sixth-highest attendance for an NCAA Tournament game/session ever and the second-highest semifinal attendance ever.
• Ortega scored a goal in the final seven games of the season and in 20 of 21 games this season. Ortega posted 16 hat tricks in 21 games on the season.
• Scottie Rose Growney posted a hat trick in all three NCAA Tournament games.
• Ortega's five goals give her 151 for her career.
• It was the first time all year that Carolina lost when leading at the half (previously 14-0).
QUOTABLE
UNC Head Coach Jenny Levy:
"Well, 15 to 14 overtime thriller on ESPNews. Way to go women's lacrosse. Ten thousand people in the stands we're trying to grow this game and we put on a show tonight. Unfortunately we're in the position right now that we didn't want to be.
"Congratulations to BC, their incredibly talented team and the fight they had. I'm looking at the stats, and I'm thinking 10 of our 14 goals were assisted. We had 15 turnovers, and we lost the draw by eight tonight and yet we put that game into double overtime against the team that has been really talented all year.
"I love my team. I'm so proud of them. They fought tooth and nail, like they've done all year, and in a tough, first-class manner. We're just really disappointed not to have it gone the other way. But I think it was a great game for our sport, and I'm really proud of my team. I thought they showed tons of grit, toughness. I mean, if anyone ever wants to question the toughness that the University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team plays with, you saw it on display tonight because they were tough and I'm so proud of that."
Social Media
For all the latest on Carolina women's lacrosse, be sure to follow the team at @uncwlax on Twitter and @uncwlax on Instagram.
The Eagles emerged victorious in a back-and-forth contest likely to be remembered as one of the best games in NCAA Tournament history, ending UNC's season in heartbreaking fashion before a raucous, sellout crowd.
Carolina had clawed back from a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime, and neither team scored in the first six-minute extra stanza.
In the final 15 minutes of the second half and the overtime periods, there were four ties and four lead changes. That late excitement came after an earlier game of runs that saw Carolina start with a 7-1 lead before the Eagles replied with a 9-2 run of their own to take a 10-9 lead.
Jamie Ortega led UNC with five goals and two assists. Kara Klages and Scottie Rose Growney scored three goals each, Katie Hoeg had four assists and Olivia Ferrucci had a goal and three assists. Ally Mastroianni and Gianna Bowe each scored single goals, and Elizabeth Hillman had an assist.
The Eagles (22-1) advanced to the NCAA championship game for the third consecutive year, ending the UNC (17-4) season in the national semifinals for the second year in a row. BC will face top-seeded Maryland in the title game.
KEY MOMENTS
• Carolina took a 6-0 lead and held the Eagles scoreless until the 15:29 mark of the first half.
• After the Tar Heels led, 7-1, the Eagles ended the first half on a 5-1 for an 8-6 UNC lead at the break.
• BC took its first lead at 10-9 with 22:12 remaining in the second half.
• UNC backup goalie Elise Hennessey made two key saves, one with three seconds left to close regulation and one late in the first overtime, and caused two turnovers in an active 29:24 in the cage off the bench.
NOTABLES
• The game was the first NCAA semifinal game to go to overtime since 2012 and the first final four game to hit overtime since Carolina beat Maryland in 3OT in the 2013 final. It was the second national semifinal ever to go to double overtime.
• UNC defender Emma Trenchard limited Tewaaraton Award finalist Sam Apuzzo to two goals and one assist in the game.
• Hennessey (2-1) played the final 29:24 of the game in goal for Carolina in relief of Taylor Moreno, who made 10 saves and allowed 10 goals. Hennessey had four saves, including a save of an Apuzzo shot with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
• Ten of UNC's 14 goals were assisted.
• The Eagles out-shot Carolina, 35-25. The Eagles forced 15 Tar Heel turnovers (while committing 10) and controlled 20 draws (to UNC's 12).
• Carolina is now 4-7 all-time in NCAA semifinal games and has won three of its last five.
• The Tar Heels saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end.
• Carolina is 34-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jenny Levy's 34 NCAA Tournament wins rank fifth in NCAA history.
• The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Boston College, 17-5.
• The attendance for the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse semifinals was a sellout 8,508 – the sixth-highest attendance for an NCAA Tournament game/session ever and the second-highest semifinal attendance ever.
• Ortega scored a goal in the final seven games of the season and in 20 of 21 games this season. Ortega posted 16 hat tricks in 21 games on the season.
• Scottie Rose Growney posted a hat trick in all three NCAA Tournament games.
• Ortega's five goals give her 151 for her career.
• It was the first time all year that Carolina lost when leading at the half (previously 14-0).
QUOTABLE
UNC Head Coach Jenny Levy:
"Well, 15 to 14 overtime thriller on ESPNews. Way to go women's lacrosse. Ten thousand people in the stands we're trying to grow this game and we put on a show tonight. Unfortunately we're in the position right now that we didn't want to be.
"Congratulations to BC, their incredibly talented team and the fight they had. I'm looking at the stats, and I'm thinking 10 of our 14 goals were assisted. We had 15 turnovers, and we lost the draw by eight tonight and yet we put that game into double overtime against the team that has been really talented all year.
"I love my team. I'm so proud of them. They fought tooth and nail, like they've done all year, and in a tough, first-class manner. We're just really disappointed not to have it gone the other way. But I think it was a great game for our sport, and I'm really proud of my team. I thought they showed tons of grit, toughness. I mean, if anyone ever wants to question the toughness that the University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team plays with, you saw it on display tonight because they were tough and I'm so proud of that."
Social Media
For all the latest on Carolina women's lacrosse, be sure to follow the team at @uncwlax on Twitter and @uncwlax on Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attack/Midfield
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attacker
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Midfielder
/ Women's Lacrosse
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Lacrosse
Attacker
/ Women's Lacrosse
Defender
/ Women's LacrosseUNC Men's Soccer: Carolina Buries Lipscomb, 3-0, to Extend Unbeaten Run
Wednesday, October 08
Latinx Heritage Month 2025 - Carolina Latinx Center Feature
Wednesday, October 08
Blue Heaven: 2025 UNC Field Hockey, Episode 3
Wednesday, October 08
MBB: Seth Trimble & Henri Veesaar On ACCN Set At ACC Tipoff
Wednesday, October 08