The UNC women’s lacrosse program has its sights set on some hardware for the 2022 season, with a rock solid backstop being one of the reasons why. Carolina’s fifth-year senior goalie Taylor Moreno was named the preseason ACC Defensive Player of the Year Friday by Inside Lacrosse.

Moreno has already led one of the most decorated careers in the history of the women’s lacrosse program. She is a three-time All-American, two-time ACC Tournament MVP and was named National Goalie of the Year in 2021. Moreno has also started 57 of a possible 65 games during her time at Carolina, and logged more than 3100 minutes in net.

Moreno is one of nine Carolina players who were honored by Inside Lacrosse earlier this month as preseason All-Americans. Four of Moreno’s teammates joined her on the first team: attacker Jamie Ortega, midfielders Ally Mastroianni and Olivia Dirks and defender Emma Trenchard. UNC’s nine five preseason first team All-Americans and nine overall are both the most among any program in the country.

The women’s lacrosse team is ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, behind only defending national champion Boston College. The Tar Heels will open their season on the road when they visit No. 12 James Madison on February 12. Carolina’s home opener will come on February 16 against Furman.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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 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 […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 1 UNC beat rival Duke for the second time in less than a week Wednesday at the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte, dispatching the Blue Devils 15-11 to advance to Friday’s semifinal round. Movin’ On ⏩ The Heels take care of the Devils for the second time in a week to advance to the […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Overcomes Early Deficit, Beats No. 19 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 1 UNC trailed 5-2 in the waning seconds of the first half but still beat No. 19 Duke going away Thursday night in Durham, winning 11-5 in the final game of the regular season. Carolina is inevitable 🐏 The Heels run off 8 straight goals and hold Duke scoreless in the second half to […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats No. 7 Stanford, Clinches ACC Regular-Season Title
Chloe Humphrey tied a career high with eight goals as No. 2 UNC beat No. 7 Stanford 18-9 at Dorrance Field Friday night to clinch the outright ACC regular season title for the second consecutive year. That’s a dub + a trophy 🏆 The Heels are your ACC Regular Season Champions!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ffY2oveVdl — […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Crushes No. 25 Virginia to Stay Unbeaten in ACC
UNC used a lopsided first half and seven goals from a red-hot Chloe Humphrey to roll past No. 25 Virginia 19-4 in Charlottesville Friday afternoon. Road Dub 👐 The Heels stay perfect in ACC play with a dominant win at UVA!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/5h0LTwIy7v — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) April 3, 2026 Humphrey’s productive day […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Thumps East Carolina in Chapel Hill
No. 1 UNC rebounded from its first loss since 2024 with a dominating win against East Carolina in Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels scored the game’s first 10 goals on their way to a 23-3 win. Senior Day Dubs 👐#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/rCz4I9pxzm — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) March 28, 2026 UNC’s fast […]
31-Game Winning Streak Snapped as UNC Women's Lacrosse Falls to No. 12 Northwestern
No. 1 UNC saw its 31-game winning streak, which stretched back to the beginning of the 2025 season, snapped in a 17-16 overtime loss to No. 12 Northwestern at Dorrance Field Wednesday night. It was UNC’s first home loss in exactly two years — a result which also came at the hands of Northwestern. The […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Dominate Boston College, Men Outlast Army
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up wins against ranked foes at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked women’s team soundly beat Boston College, while the fifth-ranked men held on to beat Army. Both the Eagles and Black Knights are ranked No. 16 in the national polls. The women led off the […]
›