Tar Heels claw back from de?cit

The North Carolina women’s lacrosse team had not proved itself a comeback squad, so starting in a 3-1 hole against Georgetown at Fetzer Field on Saturday was a grim forecast for the Tar Heels.

“We always want to win the first ball — we always want to draw blood first,” UNC coach Jenny Levy said.

Despite trailing early, the Tar Heels composed themselves and flipped the game to a 13-10 victory against the Hoyas. UNC made up the deficit and pushed ahead in a five-goal run, then maintained a lead from the 19th minute of play onward.

“Everyone has a first-few-minute jitters, so getting those out and being able to hold the ball and getting it around on offense was a big key,” junior midfielder Laura Zimmerman said.

The only time UNC has come back from a two-goal deficit this year came in the season-opener against Florida.

“I think what was different about this game is that no one hung their heads,” senior attacker Corey Donohoe said.

Levy diagnosed the first-period deficit as hesitation from the offense inside the Georgetown 12-meter arc.

“We got a lot of shots in our first possession, but I wish we could have put the nail in the coffin,” she said. “Or put it in a few more before they did.”

Typically, it’s the Tar Heels who allow opponents to come from behind. Earlier this season, Vanderbilt scored four consecutive goals against UNC to cut a five-goal difference to just one.

In the second half against the Hoyas, UNC allowed five goals but did not crumble.

When the scoreboard lit up another Hoya score, the Tar Heels countered, focusing on scoring in transition and winning draws.

“I was really glad to see us score in transition today,” Levy said. “I like that we fought from coming from behind and went on a run late in the first period. I thought that was key and we did it from transition.”

From the cage, goalkeeper Lauren Maksym saw her teammates swing the momentum after the first five minutes and attributes it to confidence, energy and composure.

“As a team we never feel like we are going to lose, so we weren’t really that worried about it,” Maksym said. “We had so much time that we knew we could come back. The offense gets everyone going with the energy, and defense just has to keep them from scoring.”

With Levy’s 200th win, the Tar Heels have proved they can send a team to the grave even without drawing first blood.

“It’s focusing on getting the ball, then being patient on offense, but attacking when it’s there,” Donahoe said. “It’s about making smart decisions on the field and we did that a lot better today.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.