Make it seven times in the last 10 seasons that the UNC women’s lacrosse team has advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 2 seed Tar Heels knocked off Northwestern by a score of 19-14 in Saturday’s NCAA Quarterfinal matchup, which was held in Chapel Hill at Kenan Stadium.

Freshman attacker Jamie Ortega led the way with five goals for UNC (17-3), while Marie McCool and Ela Hazar each chipped in three goals apiece.

Katie Hoeg also tallied a goal and three assists to set the new Tar Heel single-season scoring record with 87 points so far this season.

UNC scored just 25 seconds into the action and went on to build a 6-2 lead in the early going, but the Wildcats (15-6) did manage to reel off four consecutive goals at that point to tie things up at 6-6.

The Tar Heels responded by taking an 11-8 lead into the halftime break, and followed that up by never letting Northwestern come closer than two goals throughout the entirety of the second half.

It was also the second time this season UNC has beaten Northwestern. The Tar Heels previously traveled to Illinois and defeated the Wildcats 18-13 back on March 17.

“That obviously was a really tough quarterfinal game against a really good Northwestern team that puts a lot of pressure on you all over the field, especially on the offensive end,” UNC head coach Jenny Levy said afterwards.  “I think the overall play of our team has gotten better of the course of the season, and it’s a true team.  So many different kids are contributing, and I’m really proud of this group.” 
 

Up Next:

Now the Tar Heels will turn their attention to James Madison, their semifinal opponent. That game is scheduled to be played on May 25.

 

FINAL STATS

 

 

Photo via Jeffrey A. Camarati (UNC Athletics)

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