The UNC women’s lacrosse team kept its national championship repeat bid alive on Sunday, but it didn’t come easy. The Tar Heels fought off a strong challenge from visiting Richmond and had to overcome a second-half deficit in the 16-12 win.

The Spiders didn’t blink after trailing 3-1 less than 10 minutes into the game, instead rallying for a 7-5 lead midway through the second quarter. That lead sat at 8-7 as the halftime whistle blew. Carolina hadn’t trailed at halftime since the regular-season finale at Duke on April 20.

But just like that game, the Tar Heels dug deep for a second-half rally. Carolina scored three consecutive goals in less than three minutes to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 12-10 lead. The Spiders cut the lead to one goal twice in the remaining 19:26, but were never able to retake the lead. A pair of UNC goals from Lauren Figura and one more from Alyssa Long iced the game in the final minutes.

Seven Tar Heels found the back of the net at least twice, led by a hat trick by Melissa Sconone — the first in the career of the senior attacker. Sconone’s third goal broke a 10-10 tie midway through the third quarter, and she assisted on Long’s final goal with 1:38 remaining.

The win means Carolina will appear in its 20th consecutive NCAA quarterfinal, all of which have come under head coach Jenny Levy. The Tar Heels will face either Albany or No. 5 overall seed Denver on May 18. Regardless of opponent, the game will be played at Dorrance Field.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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