Women’s Lacrosse Begins ACC Play At Virginia

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Atlantic Coast Conference action officially gets underway Friday night when the eighth-ranked North Carolina women's lacrosse team travels to Charlottesville to take on No. 15 Virginia at 5 p.m. ET.

The game, held at Klöckner Stadium, will air on ACCNX with Kevin DiDomenico on call.

Game Info
Who: (8) Carolina at (15) Virginia
What: ACC opener
Where: Charlottesville, Va. – Klöckner Stadium
When: Friday, Feb. 23 – 5 p.m. ET
Links: Live Stream | Live Stats

Heels vs. Hoos
This will be the 49th meeting all-time between UNC and UVA. The Tar Heels lead the
series at 35-13, including 17-4 in Charlottesville. UNC is 10-0 in the last 10 meetings. Carolina has not lost to Virginia since May 17, 2014, in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The team's last loss in Charlottesville was on March 13, 2010.

In the Last Meeting
The last contest between UNC and UVA was on March 11, 2023, in Chapel Hill which resulted in a 17-12 UNC victory. Caroline Godine had three goals and two assists while Reilly Casey had two goals and two assists. Alecia Nicholas made eight saves.

Last Time Out
The Tar Heels used a dominant second half to secure a 19-10 win over No. 12 Florida on Feb. 17 at home, their first ranked win of the year. After heading into the break tied 8-8, UNC tallied 11 goals and held UF to only two during the second half.

Eleven players tallied at least one point with Ashley Humphrey leading the way with a game-high five. Kiley Mottice saw the first hat trick of her career while Emily Nalls had six draw controls and three caused turnovers.

She's a Heel and a Hoo
Head coach Jenny Levy (née Slingluff) graduated from Virginia in 1992 with a degree in rhetoric and communications. She led the Cavaliers to their first national championship in 1991. Levy was the leading scorer during the 1991 NCAA Tournament with eight goals, two assists and 10 points, including five goals in the semifinals and three in the title game.

In the Rankings
The Tar Heels rank first in the ACC and second in the country with 21.3 draw controls/game, as well as first in the league and third in the country with 10.3 assists/game. Humphrey, the NCAA single-season assists record holder with 88 from 2022 while at Stanford, is tied for first in the league and fifth in the country with nine assists.

North Carolina checked in at No. 8 and No. 6 in this week's IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Magazine polls, respectively.

Major Milestones
A few major milestones are on the horizon for the Tar Heels...

Caitlyn Wurzburger (211) is nine points away from being ranked 10th on UNC's all-time career points list, 10 from ranking 9th, 11 from ranking 8th and 17 from ranking seventh
Gabi Hall (45) is five ground balls away from 50 in her career
Casey (46) is four assists away from 50 in her career
Casey (44) is six goals away from 50 in her career
Casey (90) is 10 points away from 100 in her career
Humphrey (139) is 11 assists away from 150 in her career

Watch Out For 'Em
Olivia Dirks and Nalls were named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, the sport's most prestigious award. Both graduate students were tabbed to the All-ACC Preseason Team, too. Heading into conference play, the Tar Heels were picked third in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.

Stay up to date with UNC women's lacrosse by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Reilly Casey

Olivia Dirks

Caroline Godine

Gabi Hall

Ashley Humphrey

Kiley Mottice

Emily Nalls

Alecia Nicholas

Caitlyn Wurzburger

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University of North Carolina Athletics