A long road trip didn’t seem to affect the No. 2 UNC women’s lacrosse team’s game on Saturday, as the Tar Heels took down No. 7 Florida in Gainesville for their third win in a row to start the season.

As with the team’s opening road trip to No. 12 James Madison, the Tar Heels fell behind early in a hostile environment. The Gators led 2-1 after 11 minutes. But redshirt junior midfielder Elizabeth Hillman would answer Florida’s second goal with one of her own just 18 seconds later off a free position shot. The goal, Hillman’s first of the season, would start an offensive avalanche for the Tar Heels to end the quarter.

Fifth-year attacker Jamie Ortega would give Carolina the lead with her seventh goal of the season a minute later, before Scottie Rose Growney followed up with her second of the game and sixth of the season. Sophomore Caitlyn Wurzburger cashed in an assist from Growney with 28 seconds left in the quarter to punctuate a 4-0 run for Carolina inside four minutes. Thus, a 2-1 deficit became a 5-2 lead.

Florida cut the lead to 7-6 in the second quarter, before Hillman’s second score of the game and Olivia Dirks’ first gave the Tar Heels a valuable cushion going into halftime. The two goals came in a 44-second span, with Dirks netting hers with one tick remaining on the clock.

Two goals from Andie Aldave, another from Ortega and a third from Hillman in the third quarter helped Carolina pull away, but Ortega would score one more in the final period to join Hillman and Aldave in the Tar Heel hat trick parade. It’s Ortega’s 56th career game with three goals or more.

Graduate goalie Taylor Moreno was once again a stalwart in net for head coach Jenny Levy and the Tar Heels, extending her own school record with her 51st career win. Moreno made a season-high eight saves Saturday against the Gators and played all 60 minutes.

The road warrior Tar Heels will stay in unfriendly confines for their next game, a date at Pittsburgh on February 24 in the team’s ACC opener. That means Carolina will have played three of its opening four games on the road, though the game with the Panthers is followed by a four-game homestand at Dorrance Field. The game will be the first between the two programs since Pittsburgh began sponsoring women’s lacrosse as a varsity sport.

 

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
UNC's Jenny Levy Named ACC Coach of the Year, Eliza Osburn Freshman of the Year
UNC women’s lacrosse head coach Jenny Levy was named the ACC Coach of the Year for a league-record eighth time Wednesday afternoon, while Eliza Osburn also took home Freshman of the Year honors. Congratulations to the 2025 ACC Women's Lacrosse award winners! 🔗 https://t.co/SfyV8T7LBp pic.twitter.com/psYPkancfq — The ACC (@theACC) April 30, 2025 Levy most recently […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Boston College, Wins 8th ACC Championship
No. 1 UNC outscored No. 2 Boston College 6-3 in the fourth quarter of the ACC Championship in Charlotte Sunday afternoon, and the Tar Heels beat the Eagles 14-12 to secure the program’s eighth ACC Tournament title. CHAMPS x2 🏆 🏆 The Heels are your ACC Regular Season and Tournament Champions 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zcbHmPpjAy — UNC […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Clemson, Advances to ACC Championship
Three Tar Heels each scored hat tricks to help No. 1 UNC beat Clemson 17-7 in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Friday and advance to Sunday’s championship game. To the final 💥 #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/PjVgHPEagw — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) April 25, 2025 Goals from Chloe Humphrey, Marissa White and others staked UNC […]
'We Have a Lot of Receipts': The Spring Re-Awakening of UNC Women's Lacrosse
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, the UNC women's lacrosse team is back at the top of the heap entering the 2025 postseason.
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats No. 8 Duke, Completes Unbeaten Regular Season
Top-ranked UNC used a hot start at No. 8 Duke Thursday night to beat the Blue Devils 18-6 and complete a 15-0 regular season. The win helped the Tar Heels clinch the outright ACC regular-season crown, and is also UNC’s 16th straight against Duke. The Heels beat Duke for the 16th straight time to clinch […]
6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees
Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side. 🗣️ Tewaaraton […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Rolls Past ECU, Stays Unbeaten in 2025
Top-ranked UNC had no trouble dispatching ECU on the road Wednesday night in Greenville, thrashing the Pirates 20-4 and keeping its unblemished record intact. Your No. 1 Tar Heels extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 13!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/iFMakhBb9g — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) April 9, 2025 Six different Tar Heels found the back […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Topple No. 1 Boston College, Men Beat Virginia
Both UNC lacrosse teams picked up big home conference wins Saturday at Dorrance Field, with the No. 2 women winning a clash of the titans against No. 1 Boston College 12-11 and the No. 8 men beating Virginia for the first time since 2021 by an 18-9 score. In the first game of the day, […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Wins at No. 3 Northwestern, Now 10-0 in 2025
In a battle of Top 3 teams, No. 2 UNC outscored No. 3 Northwestern 9-4 in the second half to earn a 15-12 road win Thursday night. Heels turn out the lights on the Lake Show and move to 10-0 😎#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/M3e0kdQ5s8 — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) March 28, 2025   It was […]
›