Champs Vs. Champs: Women’s Lacrosse Set To Take On U.S. National Team

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Champs Vs. Champs: Women’s Lacrosse Set To Take On U.S. National Team

October 14, 2022 | Women's Lacrosse

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Champs vs. champs. It'll be a battle between Jenny Levy's two undefeated squads as defending NCAA champion University of North Carolina women's lacrosse and United States Women's National Team, reigning world champion, go head-to-head in the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic.

The star-studded matchup will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland. The game will be streamed live on USALacrosse.com with Tari Kandemiri and Monika Moore on call.

Carolina has plenty of returning talent this season who are primed to take on a strong U.S. team, including IWLCA All-America defender Emily Nalls. A trio of USA U19 gold medalists in Elizabeth Hillman, Brooklyn Neumen and Caitlyn Wurzburger are also back for another season in Chapel Hill, the latter who also earned silver this past summer at the World Games.

Nine Tar Heel standouts will make up Team USA's 19-person roster, including UNC assistant coach Marie McCool ('18) and current senior Olivia Dirks ('23). Other former Carolina stars suiting up for the red, white and blue include Molly Hendrick ('17), Ally Mastroianni ('21), Taylor Moreno ('22), Jamie Ortega ('22), Emma Trenchard ('22), Caylee Waters ('17) and Kayla Wood ('21).

The trip to Maryland – the same place where UNC clinched its third national title in program history and the U.S. captured its fourth-straight gold medal – will be an exciting one for Levy after a big year. She will be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame following the game on Saturday night.

The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of USA Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who, by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. The goal of the selection committee is to select the absolute best of the best within the context of an individual's era of participation.

A ballot committee develops the list of annual nominees while a 21-member voting committee finalizes the selections. The voting group is comprised of current Hall of Fame members, current or former U.S. National Team players and coaches, high level high school or college coaches, elite members of the officiating community and individuals that have contributed to the growth of the sport on a national or international level. Final approval of the selectees is provided by USA Lacrosse's Board of Directors.

Levy is one of eight new members in the 2021 inductee class.

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