The No. 1 UNC women’s lacrosse team made its debut in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in style, completely overpowering Virginia at Dorrance Field in a 24-2 blowout win. The win is not only UNC’s largest in NCAA Tournament history, but it ties the program record for both goals scored and margin of victory in any game.
Program record for goals in an NCAA Tournament game ✅
Marching on ✅#GoHeels 🐏🥍 x @wellsfargo pic.twitter.com/LBXLFKh7Zi— UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) May 15, 2022
While Carolina’s ACC title win against Boston College saw a second-half barrage from the Tar Heels, Sunday’s victory was dominant from the start. UNC scored the first 13 goals of the game, including nine in the first 15 minutes. Andie Aldave and Jamie Ortega each secured themselves hat tricks before halftime, with Aldave’s coming within a span of four minutes in the first quarter.
Ally Mastroianni and Scottie Rose Growney joined in on the hat trick fun in the third quarter before head coach Jenny Levy sent in the reserves for the final period. Growney has now scored 21 goals in her last five games, going back to the regular-season finale against Duke.
“Really happy with how our team started the game today,” Levy said. “Just really taking care of business early to give our defense enough of a cushion. We always take a little time to adjust on the defensive end. And the opportunity to play everybody was awesome.”
Though there were goals aplenty to go around, it was Caitlyn Wurzburger who led Carolina in points with seven. Wurzburger only netted one goal, but made up for it by dishing out a career-high six assists. The seven points were also a career-best for Wurzburger, a sophomore attacker from Delray Beach, FL. Ortega, the reigning ACC Tournament MVP, was second with six points (four goals, two assists), extending her own ACC record set last weekend against Boston College.
The win means Carolina has won at least one NCAA Tournament game for the 17th straight year the tournament has been played (not counting the shortened 2020 season). It also means the Tar Heels will have one final game at Dorrance Field before the tournament moves to Baltimore for the Final Four. Carolina’s NCAA quarterfinal will see them meet Stony Brook next Thursday in Chapel Hill, at a time to be determined later. The Seawolves are the No. 8 overall seed in the field, having defeated Rutgers and Drexel in their first two NCAA games. UNC notched a comeback win over Stony Brook in last season’s NCAA quarterfinals, rallying from an 11-9 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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