It was a successful day for Tar Heel teams at Dorrance Field on Saturday, as both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams earned wins. The men’s team defeated Brown, while the No. 1 women’s team stayed undefeated with a win over No. 9 Virginia.

The men’s team had little trouble with the Bears, scoring six unanswered goals in the first half to take a commanding 10-2 halftime lead. The Tar Heels extended that lead to as large as 17-4 in the early fourth quarter before finally easing up in the 19-6 win. Three players recorded hat tricks, including senior attackman Lance Tillman, whose two assists insured he’d finish as the team leader with five points.

Carolina’s 53 shots against the Bears were a season-high, all while committing just a single penalty. The Tar Heels will be back in action on Friday night in Durham when they visit No. 5 Duke.

On the women’s side, the Tar Heels faced perhaps their sternest challenge of the season. No. 9 Virginia entered Saturday’s contest unbeaten and challenged Carolina from the opening whistle. The Cavaliers scored three unanswered goals late in the first quarter and held a 6-5 lead after 10 minutes. It was the first time all season UNC had trailed after the first quarter.

But Carolina controlled the second quarter, using a 5-1 run to slingshot into a 10-7 lead. That lead grew to 13-8 in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers refused to go quietly. Virginia cut that lead down to just one goal at 13-12 with 4:52 left in the game. Unfazed, Reilly Casey answered for the Tar Heels just 33 seconds later, and Carolina scored three more times for good measure to earn the hard-fought 17-12 win.

Freshman attacker Caroline Godine posted a hat trick and added two assists for head coach Jenny Levy’s team, and Casey was one of five Tar Heels to score twice.

The Tar Heels are still unbeaten at 6-0 and have won 28 consecutive games, a new program record. The team’s next two games will both be on the road, starting with a Thursday game at Louisville. Carolina will visit Northwestern the following Sunday in a rematch of last year’s national semifinal.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati


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