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

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 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 […]
'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. The No. 3 seeded men’s team earned a blowout, first round victory against Albany on Saturday, before the No. 2 seeded women’s team handled Clemson on Sunday after having a bye in the first round. Check out […]
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 […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse No. 2 Overall Seed, Men No. 3 in NCAA Tournament
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both national seeds in their respective NCAA Tournament fields, which were announced Sunday night. The women’s team is the No. 2 overall seed in the bracket, while the men are No. 3 overall. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels earned the No. 2 overall seed despite […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Stanford to Win 2nd Consecutive ACC Championship
UNC used a strong run in the first quarter to seize momentum against Stanford Sunday in Charlotte and held firm to win 12-8, clinching the Tar Heels’ second consecutive ACC Tournament title and ninth in program history. Stackin’ Trophies 🏆 For the ninth time, the Tar Heels are ACC Champions!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/uoKw6zUvZx — UNC […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Cruises Past Syracuse into ACC Championship Game
UNC scored six unanswered goals in the first quarter on its way to a 19-9 win against No. 4 seed Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Friday evening. The Tar Heels are now through to the conference championship game Sunday. Finals Bound 🚀 The Heels will face the winner if Stanford and Clemson […]
›