On a big night for UNC lacrosse, the top-ranked Tar Heel women clinched the ACC regular-season title with a dominating 18-4 win over no. 5 Duke.

Thursday’s match on Dorrance Field was not just a battle between two rivals, but also a battle between two of the top five teams in the nation – and the regular-season conference title was also on the line. So there was a lot at stake for both teams – but on the field, it was all Carolina. Scottie Rose Growney scored late in the first quarter to break a 2-2 tie – and then the Tar Heels rattled off 15 more goals in a row, a streak that only ended late in the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Growney ended with a game-high five goals, outscoring Duke all on her own; she also added two assists for a career-high seven points. Ally Mastroianni and Jamie Ortega added four goals each; that tied Mastroianni’s career high as well.

Thursday’s win gave UNC a perfect 15-0 regular season record and secured the top seed in next week’s ACC tournament, hosted by Notre Dame. Carolina will begin play in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 29.

The no. 15 UNC men had a less successful day, falling at no. 9 Notre Dame, 12-5. The Tar Heels took an early 3-2 lead, but the Fighting Irish rattled off nine straight goals after that. Cooper Frankenheimer broke that streak late in the fourth quarter with his first career goal, but it was too late for Carolina to mount a comeback.

Lance Tillman led the way in defeat for the Tar Heels with two goals. Chris Gray had one goal and two assists; he’s now just six points away from breaking the all-time Division 1 career points record.

The Tar Heel men have one more regular-season game, at no. 11 Duke on Sunday, May 1.

While Thursday’s action was all on the field, five Tar Heels also got a big individual honor this week: they’ve been nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, which goes to the national player of the year. On the women’s side, Ally Mastroianni, Taylor Moreno, Jamie Ortega and Emma Trenchard all made the list of 25 nominees; on the men’s side, Chris Gray got the nod.

Photo by Jeff Myers of Notre Dame Athletics, via UNC Athletic Communications.

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