University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Andy Mead
Tournament Time: Looking Back On The 2016 ACC Title
April 23, 2020 | Women's Lacrosse
If not for the cancellation of all sports, among several other things, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship would've kicked off Wednesday in Chapel Hill. In its absence, GoHeels.com is taking a look back at each of North Carolina's five ACC titles between Wednesday and the tournament's scheduled finish on Sunday.
Four years removed from North Carolina's second national championship campaign, it's hard not to look back on the 2016 squad as perhaps the most dominant in school history.
Despite dropping back-to-back games to Florida and Maryland in February, the Tar Heels still set school records for most wins (20) and fewest losses (two) in a season. Along the way, they managed to go 7-0 in the ACC regular season and win 17 straight games to close the year, which remains the program's longest single-season winning streak.
Less talked about, though, is how much adversity UNC faced.
Carolina navigated much of the season without multiple players who were injured or redshirting. It also played nine games decided by one goal. And somehow, it won seven of them.
None, however, was more dramatic – or improbable – than the Tar Heels' 15-14 victory over Syracuse in the ACC Tournament championship game, as they overcame a two-goal deficit in the final 4:11 of regulation, among several other obstacles, to claim their first ACC title in 14 years.
Just a year earlier, UNC had almost snapped its ACC championship drought against the Orange, rallying from down 8-5 with 7:16 left to force overtime. Ultimately, though, Carolina fell just short, as Syracuse prevailed in double overtime at Virginia's Klockner Stadium.
Three hundred seventy-one days later at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, overtime would again decide the ACC championship, even if it didn't always seem as if that would be the case.
The game in its grasp for almost the entirety of the first 38 minutes of regulation, Syracuse led by as many as three goals on three occasions. But no matter how much separation the Orange built, the Tar Heels never went away. Finally, with 36 seconds remaining, their persistence paid off, as junior Molly Hendrick scored to give UNC a 14-13 lead. Sophomore Marie McCool then won the ensuing draw control, and a Carolina victory suddenly seemed all but certain.
Only it wasn't. Far from it.
After a pair of lengthy reviews, McCool's stick was deemed illegal, and she was sent to the sidelines. The Orange then took possession and scored the game-tying goal as time expired. Or so it appeared. As it turned out, time had run out before the ball found the back of the net. But because the hand-operated airhorn didn't sound, the initial goal call stood.
Heading into sudden-death overtime, the Tar Heels were down two players in McCool and junior defender Alex Moore, who picked up a yellow card with six seconds left in regulation. So, when Syracuse won the draw and called a timeout, it seemed destined to win.
But, luckily for Carolina, the Orange turned the ball over, committing a yellow-card infraction in the process. Senior Aly Messinger then went down the field and scored. And just like that, one of the craziest games in ACC Tournament history – as well as UNC's title drought – was over.
"It was a hell of a game … two really good teams," said head coach Jenny Levy afterward. "Any time you play Syracuse, it's a tough battle in so many different ways. I thought our kids did a great job of just being a total team today. We had a lot of adversity down the stretch. We were able to even up the score and get the go-ahead goal with 30 seconds left, and then it became an adventure."
Carolina's victory, of course, set the tone for the NCAA championship run that followed. That, however, isn't the only run it started.
Four years removed from North Carolina's second national championship campaign, it's hard not to look back on the 2016 squad as perhaps the most dominant in school history.
Despite dropping back-to-back games to Florida and Maryland in February, the Tar Heels still set school records for most wins (20) and fewest losses (two) in a season. Along the way, they managed to go 7-0 in the ACC regular season and win 17 straight games to close the year, which remains the program's longest single-season winning streak.
Less talked about, though, is how much adversity UNC faced.
Carolina navigated much of the season without multiple players who were injured or redshirting. It also played nine games decided by one goal. And somehow, it won seven of them.
None, however, was more dramatic – or improbable – than the Tar Heels' 15-14 victory over Syracuse in the ACC Tournament championship game, as they overcame a two-goal deficit in the final 4:11 of regulation, among several other obstacles, to claim their first ACC title in 14 years.
Just a year earlier, UNC had almost snapped its ACC championship drought against the Orange, rallying from down 8-5 with 7:16 left to force overtime. Ultimately, though, Carolina fell just short, as Syracuse prevailed in double overtime at Virginia's Klockner Stadium.
Three hundred seventy-one days later at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, overtime would again decide the ACC championship, even if it didn't always seem as if that would be the case.
The game in its grasp for almost the entirety of the first 38 minutes of regulation, Syracuse led by as many as three goals on three occasions. But no matter how much separation the Orange built, the Tar Heels never went away. Finally, with 36 seconds remaining, their persistence paid off, as junior Molly Hendrick scored to give UNC a 14-13 lead. Sophomore Marie McCool then won the ensuing draw control, and a Carolina victory suddenly seemed all but certain.
Only it wasn't. Far from it.
After a pair of lengthy reviews, McCool's stick was deemed illegal, and she was sent to the sidelines. The Orange then took possession and scored the game-tying goal as time expired. Or so it appeared. As it turned out, time had run out before the ball found the back of the net. But because the hand-operated airhorn didn't sound, the initial goal call stood.
Heading into sudden-death overtime, the Tar Heels were down two players in McCool and junior defender Alex Moore, who picked up a yellow card with six seconds left in regulation. So, when Syracuse won the draw and called a timeout, it seemed destined to win.
But, luckily for Carolina, the Orange turned the ball over, committing a yellow-card infraction in the process. Senior Aly Messinger then went down the field and scored. And just like that, one of the craziest games in ACC Tournament history – as well as UNC's title drought – was over.
"It was a hell of a game … two really good teams," said head coach Jenny Levy afterward. "Any time you play Syracuse, it's a tough battle in so many different ways. I thought our kids did a great job of just being a total team today. We had a lot of adversity down the stretch. We were able to even up the score and get the go-ahead goal with 30 seconds left, and then it became an adventure."
Carolina's victory, of course, set the tone for the NCAA championship run that followed. That, however, isn't the only run it started.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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