The second-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team began its quest for a second straight national title with a bang on Sunday afternoon at Fetzer Field.
Carly Reed scored a career-high six goals for the Tar Heels, while Marie McCool added five of her own–as UNC rolled to a 23-12 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to Reed and McCool’s huge scoring outbursts, UNC also received hat tricks from Sammy Jo Tracy and Molly Hendrick.
By the time it was all said and done, the Tar Heels (17-2) had racked up more goals in a single NCAA Tournament game than any other team in school history–surpassing the previous record of 22 set back in 2002.
It was also the highest scoring total of UNC’s season, beating out the 21 goals it scored in the season’s first matchup against Virginia (12-9).
Tar Heel midfielder Ela Hazar also broke a school record, by dishing out her 37th assist of the season.
“Congratulations to Virginia on a great year,” UNC head coach Jenny Levy said afterward. “But even more so, congratulations to my team. I thought it was a total team effort today. I think we did a great job on the loose balls, and Marie McCool and Carly Reed did a good job setting the tempo in the first half in transition and on the draw.”
The win moves the Tar Heels–who earned a First Round bye in the event–into the NCAA Quarterfinals, where they will face Navy next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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