Women's lacrosse's Sloane Serpe steps up on senior day

Senior Sloane Serpe  flies under the radar for the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team. Her aggressive and hands-on defense doesn’t fill the box score or wow the crowd.

But against Towson on senior day, Serpe went for the unconventional.

With fewer than 11 minutes left in the game, she cut inside and sprinted 60 yards toward the goal, zooming by countless defenders. She then stopped and zipped the ball into the net for her second goal of the game . Serpe’s unforeseen offensive contribution helped the Tar Heels defeat Towson 17-8 Saturday .

Serpe said that she loves the unpredictability of spending time on the offensive attack.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Serpe said. “Going over the line, you never know what’s going to happen, whether you stay or you just pass it out.”

Serpe, who scored two goals against the Tigers , had just three goals going into the game .

When recounting the senior’s long dash to the goal, coach Jenny Levy said that she knew Serpe had the advantage and that she would take it.

“She had the step initially off the restart, and I’m thinking, ‘All right, you got one to beat,’” Levy said. “So she beat her and cut inside, and I knew she was going to go. That kind of play gives our team fire.”

Senior Abbey Friend , who scored three goals of her own , has started every game alongside Serpe since their freshman season in 2011 .

Friend said that Serpe’s presence is always welcome on the offensive end and that the goals are a good reward for her defensive efforts.

“She’s an unreal athlete,” Friend said. “She has a really high passion for the game and our team, so whenever she comes up with a huge play, it really sparks our offensive movement, and I really love when she comes down and we can get her some goals.”

Serpe also had a solid game in her usual role as a defender. She scooped up four ground balls , bringing her total to 25 on the season – good for most on the team .

Serpe is serving as team captain for the second consecutive year and was also named to the preseason first-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse’s Face-Off Yearbook .

And after playing her last game in Chapel Hill and starting her 77th consecutive game for UNC , Serpe owes her consistency and longevity to the people she loves most – her teammates.

“I think the team drives me to be better every day,” Serpe said. “At practice, that’s our hardest game, (the attackers) push us just as hard as we push the attack. It’s my teammates pushing me each day to get better.

“I’m not complacent in anything. Each day we need to get better.”