The most dominant team in the country all year long, the top-ranked Tar Heels saw their perfect season come to a crashing halt on Friday afternoon in Towson, Maryland — as No. 4 Boston College held on for an 11-10 upset victory in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals.

It wasn’t a lack of opportunities that cost head coach Jenny Levy’s Tar Heels (20-1), but rather a phenomenal performance by Boston College goalie Rachel Hall.

Time and time again Hall came up with clutch saves, frustrating a UNC offense which averaged nearly 16 goals per game in the 20 games leading up to this one.

Offensively, the Eagles went on a 6-1 run at the end of the first half to take a 9-5 lead into halftime — a lead which represented the largest deficit UNC has faced at the half all year long.

Boston College (17-3) then added the first goal of the second half before UNC’s Caitlyn Wurzburger scored the second of her three goals to get the Tar Heels back on the scoreboard.

The Eagles’ star duo of Charlotte North and Jenn Medjid responded with back-to-back goals, putting UNC down 11-6 with just over 15 minutes remaining.

From there, UNC locked down defensively and began to slowly climb back into the game. Wurzburger added her third goal, which was followed up by a pair of scores from fifth-year senior Katie Hoeg — the second coming with just over five minutes left on the clock.

Down by two and desperately needing scores, the Tar Heels began to press and ultimately found themselves down two women due to penalties.

This allowed Boston College to drain the clock down and limit UNC’s chances on the other end.

Midfielder Ally Mastroianni finally broke through for the Tar Heels with one second left, but by then it was too late for the team to complete what would have been an epic comeback.

“I thought defense did their job,” Levy said afterwards. “I thought we did a great job in the center circle and the draw. Unfortunately for us, we just didn’t do what we normally do — which is execute offensively.”

Wurzburger and Hoeg tied for the team lead with three goals apiece, but star attacker Jamie Ortega was held to just one goal and two assists — all of which came in the first half.

On the Boston College side, Hedjid led the way with four goals while North — the leading goal-scorer in the NCAA — added two goals and an assist of her own.

The shocking victory by the Eagles ended what had been a program-record 27-game winning streak for the Tar Heels and handed them their first loss since May 24, 2019. It also avenged a 21-9 loss to UNC from earlier this season.

UNC’s 10 total goals represented the team’s second-lowest scoring output of the season. The Tar Heels also came into the game having outscored opponents by an average of 9.55 goals per game.

“It’s been a great season,” Levy told reporters. “It’s a great team. Very proud of all the players and all the hard work they’ve done this season. Just a lot of gratitude to be where we were today, and obviously extremely disappointed in the result. But the journey’s been awesome this year and you’re never going to replace it.”

 

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
Late Rally Sparks No. 1 UNC Women's Lacrosse to NCAA Quarterfinal Victory Over Stony Brook
Trailing 11-9 against No. 8 seed Stony Brook with just under nine minutes left on the clock Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field, the top-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team shifted into overdrive and reeled off five straight goals to win the NCAA Quarterfinal game 14-11 and clinch a spot in the Final Four. Scottie Rose Growney […]
NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tourney: No. 1 UNC Handles James Madison in First Round
The top-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team kicked off its run through the NCAA Tournament on the right note Sunday afternoon at Dorrance Field, pulling out a 14-9 first-round victory over James Madison. While the Tar Heels (19-0) have steamrolled through opponents for much of the season–including a 15-5 win over James Madison on Mar. 21–Sunday’s […]
Women's Lacrosse: Undefeated UNC Named Top Overall Seed for NCAA Tournament
The UNC women’s lacrosse team — which has won its last 25 games dating back to 2020 — earned the No. 1 overall seed on Sunday for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Head coach Jenny Levy’s squad is a perfect 18-0 this season and recently steamrolled through the ACC Tournament for the program’s fifth consecutive conference […]
No. 1 UNC Women's Lacrosse Dominates No. 11 Boston College
Another game, another dominant victory for the top-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team, as the Tar Heels flexed their collective muscles on Saturday in a 21-9 victory over No. 11 Boston College at Dorrance Field. Jamie Ortega scored six goals to extend her lead on the program’s all-time record, while Tayler Warehime, Ally Mastroianni, Scottie Rose […]
Women's Lacrosse: UNC Outlasts Previously Undefeated Boston College to Win Fourth Consecutive ACC Tournament Title
For the fourth consecutive season, the UNC women’s lacrosse team has won the ACC Tournament championship. The No. 2 seed Tar Heels took care of business on Sunday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, rallying from an early five-goal deficit to stun top-ranked Boston College 15-13–handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. Boston College (19-1) […]
Women's Lacrosse: No. 1 Boston College Tops No. 3 UNC in Heavyweight Showdown
A battle between two of the nation’s top three women’s lacrosse teams on Saturday in Chapel Hill saw the top-ranked Boston College Eagles remain undefeated this season with a convincing 14-8 victory over No. 3 UNC. Jamie Ortega led the Tar Heels (8-2, 1-1 ACC) with three goals in the game, including the first of […]
Women's Lax: Tar Heels End Boston College's Undefeated Season to Claim Third Straight ACC Tournament Title
For the third year in a row–and fourth time in program history–the members of the UNC women’s lacrosse team can call themselves ACC Tournament champions. The Tar Heels accomplished the feat Sunday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium in Durham after handing the top-seeded Boston College Eagles a 14-11 loss–the first defeat of the season for the […]
Late Spark Helps No. 2 Boston College Down UNC Women's Lacrosse
A showdown of two of the nation’s top five women’s lacrosse programs on Saturday saw the No. 2 Boston College Eagles defend their home turf with a 17-11 win over the fifth-ranked Tar Heels. Senior midfielder Marie McCool scored both of her two goals in the second half for UNC, cutting Boston College’s lead down […]
Women's Lacrosse: UNC Reaches ACC Final for Seventh Time in Eight Seasons After Defeating Boston College
Led by five goals in the first half from First Team All-ACC attacker Molly Hendrick, the third-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team qualified for its seventh conference tournament final in the last eight seasons. The Tar Heels knocked off the Boston College Eagles in the ACC Semifinals by a score of 17-14 on Friday in Richmond, […]
'We Have a Lot of Receipts': The Spring Re-Awakening of UNC Women's Lacrosse
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, the UNC women's lacrosse team is back at the top of the heap entering the 2025 postseason.
›