To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2022. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region.
The UNC athletics department had yet another successful calendar year in 2022. Two programs — women’s lacrosse and field hockey — won NCAA titles, with the women’s tennis team winning yet another ITA national championship. Several other programs, not just the “Iron 5” of the men’s basketball team, put together exciting seasons which ended in heartbreak.
There’s a reason people like to say the real meaning of UNC is “the University of National Champions.”
Carolina’s 48 team NCAA championships is tied for seventh-most among Division 1 schools and is the most of any Atlantic Coast Conference school. The two most recent of those titles were both memorable — and perfect. The UNC women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams each put together dominant, undefeated seasons which ended in glory.
For head coach Jenny Levy and the women’s lacrosse team, the 2022 season was the perfect redemption arc. Levy and the Tar Heels had taken an undefeated record into the 2021 Final Four, only to fall in an upset to Boston College, which was on its way to the national championship.
Following that heartbreak, the Tar Heels’ core of forward Jamie Ortega, midfielder Ally Mastroianni, defender Emma Trenchard and goalie Taylor Moreno returned to school with unfinished business in their final seasons. In addition to that star-studded group, Levy added several key transfers, including Andie Aldave from Notre Dame and Sam Geiersbach from Richmond.
As the 2022 season started, the Tar Heels were just as dominant as the 2021 group. Carolina won each of its first eight games (several over ranked opponents) by at least four goals, with five of those wins coming by 10 goals or more. In the meantime, Ortega was steadily nearing the ACC points record, one which had stood for 21 years.
Then came the rematch everyone in the program was waiting for: Boston College. The Eagles were undefeated and held the No. 1 ranking after their national championship, and would host the No. 2 Tar Heels for a highly-anticipated matchup in Chestnut Hill.
Carolina appeared to be in position to salt away the game, leading 16-11 midway through the fourth quarter on the strength of four goals from Aldave. But like champions do, the Eagles rallied. Boston College put together a desperate rally that thrilled the home fans and sent shivers through the Tar Heels, scoring four goals in a span of 6:13 to trail by just one by 1:07 remaining. Despite that nervy final stretch, Carolina was able to hold off the Eagles for the final 67 seconds, preserving the 16-15 win and claiming the No. 1 ranking.
After that titanic battle, the Tar Heels had little trouble finishing off an undefeated regular season, capping it off when an emphatic 18-4 win against Duke on Senior Night at Dorrance Field. Carolina won its first two games in the ACC Tournament as well, even defeating Notre Dame after falling behind 5-0 in the first quarter. In the ACC Championship, hosted in Chapel Hill, UNC would face a familiar foe: Boston College.
After a low-scoring first half which ended with Carolina trailing 6-4, the Tar Heels exploded for 10 unanswered goals to begin the second half, running away with the game and ensuring that this time, there’d be no down-to-the-wire finish. UNC’s 16-9 win clinched the program’s sixth consecutive ACC Tournament title and earned Carolina the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the process, Ortega became the conference’s all-time leading scorer.
The UNC women’s lacrosse team celebrates its sixth consecutive ACC Championship. (Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati)
Carolina powered through its first two games of the NCAA Tournament, including a historic 24-2 beatdown of Virginia in the second round. With an 8-5 win over Stony Brook in the national quarterfinals, the Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four yet again.
But it appeared UNC’s stay in Baltimore would be short-lived. In the national semifinal against No. 4 Northwestern, the Tar Heels met their match and then some. The Wildcats dominated for three quarters, leading 6-0 after just 11:11 of game time and taking a 13-5 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the third period. Levy and Carolina were staring down yet another disappointing postseason finish in the program’s pursuit of its third national championship.
Northwestern’s lead remained a seemingly-insurmountable 14-7 with 10 minutes to go. With their backs to the wall, UNC tried to put a rally together. Two goals in the span of a minute sliced the lead down to five goals. Then, in the blink of an eye, three more in the span of 54 seconds. Now trailing just 14-12 with 4:33 remaining, Carolina’s season was off life support.
Geiersbach, who’d already scored a pair of goals in the fourth quarter, proceeded to score goals with three, two and one minute remaining, erasing the Northwestern lead and catapulting Carolina in front. The stunning comeback left the Wildcats shell-shocked, and they were not able to find a tying goal in the final seconds. Despite leading for just 1:03 of game time, the Tar Heels took the thrilling win and advanced to the national championship.
The title game would bring its own drama, and yet another rematch with Boston College. The Eagles were vying for their second consecutive championship and another chance to break Tar Heel hearts.
In a back-and-forth affair, the two teams traded punches in front of a sold-out crowd. Carolina led 7-4 late in the first half, but a 5-1 Eagle run stretching to the early fourth quarter staked them to a 9-8 lead. A breakaway goal from Ortega, her 69th of the season and final of her Carolina career, evened the game at 9-9. It was the first of a 4-1 UNC run featuring goals from Geiersbach and Scottie Rose Growney, each also playing their final games as Tar Heels, which seized the advantage back.
Carolina fended off one final Boston College rally, and finally was able to celebrate its third NCAA title (and a 22-0 season) as the clocks hit zero. Ortega, Mastroianni, Trenchard, Moreno, Growney and the rest of UNC’s graduating class went out as national champions. It was the just first part of a dream summer for Levy, who won a world championship with Team USA at the women’s lacrosse world championships and was named National Coach of the Year in July. In October, she was also inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Jenny Levy celebrates after winning her third national championship as UNC head coach. She is the only head coach in the history of the women’s lacrosse program. (Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati)
For as dominant as the women’s lacrosse team was, the field hockey team may have been even more so. In the final season for fifth-year star Erin Matson (and, as it turned out, head coach Karen Shelton), the Tar Heels put together one of the best seasons in program history. In fact, the year’s greatness may be overshadowed by the dominance of several recent Carolina teams: the field hockey program had completed perfect seasons in both 2018 and 2019 — Matson’s freshman and sophomore years.
But 2022 brought its own sweetness, particularly after the disappointing 2021 season which saw Carolina lose seven games (more than in Matson’s previous three seasons combined) and fall to Northwestern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That loss did away with UNC’s dreams of a national championship four-peat.
Immediately, 2022 felt different. Namely, Carolina won its first two games against nationally-ranked Big Ten foes Michigan and Iowa, each of whom had defeated the Tar Heels at the beginning of the 2021 season. The game against the Hawkeyes on August 28 was particularly notable for one fact: UNC trailed. The team would not do so again until November 11.
Yes, that’s right.
Carolina simply played field hockey on a different echelon than its opponents. The Tar Heels were so dominant, they went a stretch of five games (three on the road) without giving up a single goal.
Needless to say, UNC completed an undefeated regular season, with the Hawkeyes game being the only one in which the Tar Heels were truly threatened. Carolina dispatched Syracuse and Virginia in the ACC Tournament in Durham to — like the women’s lacrosse team — clinch its sixth consecutive conference championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
In Carolina’s opening game, the Delaware Blue Hens served the Tar Heels their first deficit in nearly three months, but it made little difference in the 5-1 win. Decisive victories against Saint Joseph’s in the second round and Penn State in the national semifinal had Carolina poised to win its fourth national championship in five seasons. There, the Tar Heels would have to defeat the team which eliminated it the year before: Northwestern. The Wildcats were in search of their second consecutive national championship.
ACC Freshman of the Year Ryleigh Heck opened the scoring in the second quarter, but UNC could not extend its lead past 1-0. The tenuous advantage stood until the waning moments of the fourth quarter, when Northwestern was finally able to break through the Carolina defense. The Wildcats scored with just their second shot of the game.
With just 1:58 remaining, overtime seemed certain. But Matson, playing in her final collegiate game, had other ideas. Just 39 seconds after Northwestern’s equalizer, Matson maneuvered to the front of the Wildcat cage and deflected a Paityn Wirth shot past the goalkeeper, restoring the Carolina lead just as quickly as it had disappeared. Matson’s score proved to be the difference, as UNC iced the rest of the clock for the 2-1 win. A career-defining highlight for most of us mortals, Matson’s score was her second game-winner in a national championship.
The win put a bow on a remarkable career for Matson, one which saw her win four NCAA titles and five ACC Player of the Year awards. No other student-athlete in conference history has won ACC Player of the Year five times. Matson was also named National Player of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association for the third time. Matson posted a farewell to Carolina on her Twitter page.
Born. Bred. Dead. 💙 pic.twitter.com/BaBkUEh492
— Erin Matson (@erinmatsonn) December 1, 2022
Shortly after that dramatic win, Shelton announced her retirement after 42 years of leading the Tar Heels. The only coach in the history of the UNC field hockey program, Shelton won 10 NCAA titles with the team, the most in Division 1. She and Anson Dorrance of the women’s soccer team are the only head coaches in Carolina history to win 10 or more championships in Chapel Hill.
Other Carolina programs found success in 2022, even if they didn’t end up hoisting the NCAA trophy by season’s end. The UNC women’s tennis program cemented its place as a dynasty by winning its third consecutive ITA indoor national championship and sixth in program history in February. The Tar Heels defeated Ohio State, Virginia, NC State and Oklahoma on their way to the title.
Carolina continued its dominant play throughout the regular season, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after dropping just two dual matches. UNC made it to the Final Four for the second consecutive season, but just as in that year, the Tar Heels fell short in their quest for their first NCAA title. Carolina fell to eventual national champion Texas in the national semifinals, 4-2.
The UNC men’s golf program put together an exciting season of its own, advancing to the NCAA Championship and tying for first in stroke play, the best showing in team history. That result advanced the Tar Heels into the match play portion of the championship for the second consecutive season. Unfortunately, Carolina fell to Pepperdine in a tight quarterfinal match, 3-2.
But the Tar Heels are off to a strong start on the links in the 2022-23 season after adding newcomer Dylan Menante (ironically, a transfer from Pepperdine) to an already strong roster. UNC won three consecutive tournaments to end the fall portion of the season.
The Tar Heels’ Austin Greaser had quite the year outside of the NCAA golf circuit. Thanks to his runner-up finish in the U.S. Amateur Championship in the summer of 2021, Greaser earned invites to both the Masters and the U.S. Open. Greaser missed the cut in Augusta, but still spoke glowingly of his time at the hallowed tournament.
The Diamond Heels also thrilled Carolina fans in 2022, though it didn’t always look like the team would even qualify for postseason play. Following a sweep at the hands of Virginia, UNC sat at just 23-17 overall and 8-13 in ACC play. Had the selection committee made its decision in late April, the Carolina would not have made the NCAA Tournament. But the Diamond Heels caught fire down the stretch, using the red-hot bat of freshman star Vance Honeycutt to string together win after win. Carolina earned series wins against NC State and Wake Forest before finishing the year off with an emphatic sweep of Florida State at Boshamer Stadium.
UNC stayed hot in the ACC Tournament, defeating Clemson and dominating regular-season champion Virginia Tech to qualify for the semifinals. Carolina then dispatched Notre Dame before facing the Wolfpack one more time in the championship game. There, it was Honeycutt taking over with two towering blasts, staking Carolina to a 9-1 lead they would not relinquish. UNC won the ACC title 9-5 over the Wolfpack, clinching an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Honeycutt was named ACC Tournament MVP.
UNC freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt became the first player in program history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a single season. (Image via Associated Press/Chris Carlson)
Carolina didn’t just qualify for the postseason, either: the Diamond Heels earned a national seed, meaning Boshamer Stadium would host at least a regional.
In that regional, UNC fought back from dropping into the loser’s bracket to win three games in two days, the last two of which came against VCU, who had defeated Carolina earlier in the regional. UNC advanced to the Super Regionals where, thanks to unseeded Arkansas upsetting No. 7 Oklahoma State, Boshamer would once again host.
Carolina’s hot streak flamed out against the motivated Razorbacks, who took close victories in Games 1 and 2 to advance to the College World Series in Omaha. UNC is still seeking its first College World Series title in program history.
But no team came closer to a championship, or had it ripped away more painfully, than the UNC women’s soccer team. The Tar Heels looked well on their way to their first NCAA title since 2012 in the College Cup finals. After defeating defending national champion Florida State in the semifinals, Carolina held a late 2-0 lead over UCLA in the championship match. That lead was 2-1 with under 30 seconds to go when the Bruins earned a corner kick. The set piece flew almost parallel to UNC’s goal line, where goalkeeper Emmie Allen could not fight through a host of Bruins to punch the ball away. All it took was one touch to nudge the ball in and equalize with 16 seconds remaining. Allen immediately contended she had been interfered with, a foul which would have nullified the goal. However, no review was made.
With all the momentum, UCLA scored in extra time and iced the Tar Heels away in the final minutes, denying Carolina of its 23rd national championship in program history. The heartbreaking loss capped off a truly wretched few weeks for UNC athletics, one which saw the men’s basketball team lose four consecutive games and the football team lose three consecutive games (including a humiliating 39-10 loss to Clemson the ACC Championship).
Still, despite the ugly end of the calendar year, there were still plenty of highlights for Tar Heel fans everywhere. And with several programs around campus looking like national contenders, 2023 is sure to bring a host of new ones. And maybe even some hardware, too.
Featured image via Associated Press/Vincent Alban
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