Freshman sensation Jamie Ortega scored six goals Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium to help the fifth-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team rally from a four-goal deficit at halftime to defeat the No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 13-12.

Five of Ortega’s goals came in the second half, as Notre Dame limited the Tar Heels (8-3, 3-1 ACC) to just two goals before the break–their lowest-scoring half of the season so far.

“We couldn’t have played a worse half,” UNC head coach Jenny Levy said afterwards. “The first half was the worst lacrosse I’ve seen us play in a really long time, whether it was turnovers in transition or throw-away balls in the offensive end. This is a team game, and you need to play well as a unit.  We weren’t doing a good job of that on the offensive end in the first half, which really caused us some issues.”

It certainly was a tale of two halves in this game, as the Tar Heels came out of the locker room on a mission. UNC reeled off an 11-3 run to take a 13-9 lead with just under eight minutes left.

Having turned a four-goal deficit into a four-goal lead, the Tar Heels surrendered the final three goals of the game to Notre Dame in the final minutes–but the Fighting Irish weren’t quite able to get the game-tying tally.

In addition to Ortega’s six goals, UNC received two goals from both Katie Hoeg and Kara Klages. Marie McCool, Ela Hazar and Taylor McDaniels also added a goal apiece.

Notre Dame (6-6, 2-4 ACC) was led by three goals and an assist by Molly Cobb.

“I’m getting used to these close games,” Levy said. “Finding different ways to win against different teams certainly builds toughness. The score was a little closer than what I would’ve liked personally, but it is what it is and we’ll use it to teach, guide and get better. Credit to Notre Dame for playing well.”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will host Louisville at Kenan Stadium next Saturday, April 7. That game is set to begin at 3 p.m.

 

 

FINAL STATS

 

 

Photo via Jeffrey A. Camarati (UNC Athletics)

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