The world was a far different place the last time UNC and Maryland met in women’s lacrosse.
COVID-19 was starting to become a cause for concern in the U.S. Roy Williams was the Tar Heels’ men’s basketball coach. And Bill Belichick probably hadn’t thought about Chapel Hill in many, many moons.
So it’s hard to imagine that the Tar Heels and Terrapins were once a defining women’s lacrosse rivalry. UNC and Maryland faced off in three national title games in a four-year period between 2013 and 2016, with one of those being decided in triple overtime. That thrilling contest in 2013 gave UNC its first ever title, a landmark event in head coach Jenny Levy’s mission to build Carolina into a championship program.
“We lost the quarterfinal game, or the championship game in the ACC for many years to them,” Levy said Tuesday before her team departed Chapel Hill. “It actually took them leaving the ACC for us to finally start winning ACC championships. I really enjoyed our rivalry, even when they went to the Big Ten, and unfortunately COVID kind of put an end to that. I’m looking forward to playing them again.”
The Terps got one back against Levy and the Tar Heels in 2015 before UNC exacted revenge the very next year. Maryland has won two more championships since then but none since 2019. Regardless, their 14 national titles still make them the standard in Division 1 women’s lacrosse.
UNC hasn’t tested itself against that standard since Feb. 22, 2020, when the Tar Heels throttled the Terps 19-6 in Chapel Hill. At that time, Chloe Humphrey was still several years away from taking a blowtorch to UNC’s record books. But the superstar redshirt sophomore, long a student of the game, said she’s more than familiar with what’s on the line Friday in Illinois.
“I’ve been watching the UNC-Maryland rivalry since I was little and it would be my favorite game to throw on,” Humphrey said. “My sister [Nicole] has been a part of the game, the last one in 2020. I’m so excited to actually have that opportunity to play Maryland, because I know how historic this rivalry is, and I’m so excited to be part of it.”
Despite UNC’s recent success, the Terps own a 26-15 record against the Tar Heels since 1996. UNC is 5-6 against Maryland on a neutral field in that time frame.
This year, the storylines write themselves. The No. 3 overall seed Terps are looking to recapture their past glory and reassert themselves as the dominant program in women’s lacrosse. The No. 2 Tar Heels are looking to repeat as national champions for the first time ever, and stake their own claim as the dominant program.
Levy, whose maniacal devotion to winning resembles a certain other famous UNC athletics figure, said those narratives are simply that: narratives. But at the same time, she said her team leans into the nerves that come with a national stage.
“It’s great to be here, and it’s an opportunity,” Levy said. “And if you’re feeling tight or nervous, so are other people. I think it was Michael Jordan who said, ‘Just get all those butterflies flying in the same direction and use it.’ So we’re excited. Why not?”
Of course, whoever wins Friday could have to go through No. 1 overall seed Northwestern Sunday. The Wildcats have eight titles to their name, are hosting the Final Four and dealt UNC its only loss of the season.
In a jam-packed weekend on the calendar for both national and Tar Heel sports, the lacrosse action in Illinois should be top of mind.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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