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.

Chloe Humphrey scored a first-quarter hat trick in the span of 90 seconds of game time, flipping the score from a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 Tar Heel lead. The Terrapins tied the game at 3-3 early in the second quarter, but Carolina responded with five unanswered goals — including one more from Humphrey, giving her four in the first half.

The Tar Heels let loose with another strong run in the second half, scoring seven unanswered goals after a Maryland goal made the score 9-5. Addison Pattillo scored three goals in the run, which lasted more than 20 minutes of game time. The Terrapins’ fifth goal of the game came at the 13:01 mark of the third quarter, and they wouldn’t score again until 51 seconds remained in the fourth.

UNC’s defense limited Maryland to only 23 total shots and only 12 shots on target, and goalie Lexi Zenk made five second-half saves to help the Tar Heels pull away. Humphrey and Pattillo combined for 10 goals, while Kate Levy – daughter of head coach Jenny Levy – also scored a hat trick.

Carolina will now compete in the national championship game for the second consecutive season, aiming to win back-to-back titles for the first time in program history. The Tar Heels will face either No. 4 seed Johns Hopkins or No. 1 seed Northwestern, which is hosting the Final Four on its campus. The Wildcats dealt UNC its only loss of the season.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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