Redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey scored a hat trick in her collegiate debut to help Carolina trounce No. 16 James Madison 14-2 in the regular-season opener at Dorrance Field on Friday night.

Humphrey, the top-ranked recruit in her class who missed all of the 2024 season due to injury, led the team with six total shots and added an assist to her three goals. Her older sister, Ashley Humphrey, also registered a hat trick and collected a pair of assists.

The two sisters each found the back of the net in the opening quarter, one which ended with the Tar Heels ahead 5-0. The lead grew to 7-1 at halftime, and Chloe Humphrey needed only 35 seconds in the third quarter to complete her hat trick. Ashley wasn’t far behind, scoring two goals in less than seven minutes in the period to give her three on the night. Freshman attacker Addison Pattillo and Virginia Tech transfer Olivia Vergano also scored twice each.

As a team, Carolina doubled up the Dukes on total shots (32-16) and nearly tripled them up on shots on goal (24-9). The UNC defense held James Madison without a single shot in the entire third quarter. Sophomore goalie Betty Nelson made seven saves in her first collegiate start. JMU’s two goals are the fewest allowed in a game by the Tar Heels since the 2022 season.

Friday’s win avenged an overtime loss to the Dukes in the 2024 season opener. The Tar Heels are 1-0 and will return to the field Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. when they visit Liberty.

 

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 […]
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. 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 […]
›