Top-ranked UNC used a hot start at No. 8 Duke Thursday night to beat the Blue Devils 18-6 and complete a 15-0 regular season. The win helped the Tar Heels clinch the outright ACC regular-season crown, and is also UNC’s 16th straight against Duke.

Olivia Vergano scored for UNC inside the first minute of action, and the avalanche was underway. Chloe Humphrey, Eliza Osburn, Caroline Godine and Kaleigh Harden would each also find the back of the net before the first quarter was over, and the Tar Heels led 6-0 before the Blue Devils finally scored in the quarter’s final minute.

Carolina then used a 9-0 run across the second, third and fourth quarters to truly put the game on ice, shutting Duke out completely in the third quarter before finally letting up midway through the final period.

Humphrey ended the night with six goals, equaling Duke’s total output as a team. The star redshirt freshman scored three consecutive goals across the late second and early third quarters; they were her 62nd, 63rd and 64th of the season. Vergano finished with a hat trick, as did Addison Patillo. Ashley Humphrey assisted on five of UNC’s 18 goals, extending her team lead. She entered the night leading the nation in assists per game.

UNC ends the season with a 15-0 overall record and a 9-0 mark in ACC play. It’s the third time in the last five seasons the Tar Heels have ended the regular season without a loss. Carolina will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Charlotte. The Tar Heels will face No. 8 seed Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. UNC beat the Hokies 21-9 in Blacksburg in the two teams’ regular-season meeting.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Lacrosse on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Venue Christened Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium
Dorrance Field, the home venue for the UNC soccer and lacrosse programs, has expanded its name to Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium. The expanded name comes in recognition of a gift from Kathleen Welsh and Gary Loveman, parents of two former UNC women’s soccer players. UNC describes Play2Dream as “a private family foundation” founded […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Loses Late Lead, Falls to No. 1 Northwestern in National Championship
No. 1 Northwestern scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to overcome an 11-9 UNC lead and beat the Tar Heels 14-11 in the national championship game in Illinois Sunday. The Wildcats, playing on their home campus, jumped out to a 3-0 lead inside the game’s first four minutes, but UNC had rallied to […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse in the 2026 National Championship: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Time
The UNC women’s lacrosse team will vie for its second consecutive national championship when it faces No. 1 overall seed Northwestern in the title game Sunday. The Wildcats dealt the Tar Heels their only loss of the 2026 season. If you aren’t traveling with the team, here’s how you can follow along at home: TV […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Defeats No. 3 Maryland, Advances to National Championship
UNC’s quest for back-to-back titles continued on Saturday at the NCAA Final Four in Illinois, as the No. 2 overall seed Tar Heels outscored No. 3 Maryland 8-2 in the second half en route to a 16-6 win. See ya Sunday 😃 The Heels down the Terps to advance to their second consecutive national title […]
'My Favorite Game': UNC Women's Lacrosse Looking Forward to Rekindling Maryland Rivalry at Final Four
Friday afternoon's national semifinal game will rekindle the dormant UNC-Maryland women's lacrosse rivalry.
UNC Women's Lacrosse Dispatches Stanford to Advance to NCAA Semifinals
Hat tricks from Chloe Humphrey and Addison Pattillo helped lead UNC to a 14-11 win against Stanford in the NCAA quarterfinals at Dorrance Field Thursday night. The Tar Heels will now advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive season and 15th time overall. On to the Semis 🚀 For the 15th time in […]
Photo Gallery: UNC Men's, Women's Lacrosse Win NCAA Tournament Openers in Chapel Hill
Both the UNC men's and women's lacrosse teams hosted NCAA Tournament action at Dorrance Field during the weekend.
UNC Women's Lacrosse Throttles Clemson, Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals
Tewaaraton Award finalist Chloe Humphrey racked up 11 total points to lead UNC past Clemson 17-6 in the NCAA Tournament’s second round Sunday at Dorrance Field. Acknowledge the Heels 🐏 Carolina advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals on Thursday at Dorrance Field!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/QYb4s0rsRc — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) May 10, 2026 Humphrey’s dominance helped […]
4 UNC Lacrosse Players Named First Team All-Americans, Several Others Honored
A combined four players between the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were named as first team All-Americans by USA Lacrosse this week. Brady Wambach earned first team honors on the men’s team, while Chloe Humphrey, Sam Forrest and Eliza Osburn each earned nods on the women’s team. Wambach, a junior faceoff specialist, has already […]
›