Playing without two starters, the North Carolina women's lacrosse team had its depth tested as the Tar Heels went on the road to face a top-ten opponent.
With Sydney Holman and Olivia Ferucci remaining in Chapel Hill, No. 3 North Carolina (8-2, 2-0 ACC) passed the test as they left Newton, Mass., with a 13-12 win over No. 10 Boston College (6-4, 1-3 ACC).
While senior Sammy Jo Tracy and junior Molly Hendrick provided their usual scoring punch, the Tar Heels received an unexpected boost from redshirt senior Kelly Devlin and sophomore Ela Hazar.
Through the first nine games, Devlin only scored three goals. But she doubled her scoring output Saturday with a hat trick.
For Hazar, the game was a homecoming as she grew up 11 miles away in Westwood. Hazar clearly felt at home, as she scored two goals and recorded two assists after coming into the game with only eight points.
Early on, it looked like North Carolina would cruise to an easy victory after jumping out to an 8-1 lead in the opening 25 minutes. But the Eagles responded with three unanswered goals before halftime to remain within striking distance.
The Eagles carried the momentum they built at the end of the first half into the second half, outscoring the Tar Heels 6-3 to start the half. They trailed 11-10 with 16:49 to play.
The Tar Heels responded with consecutive goals by Tracy and Devlin to give them a 13-10 lead, but the Eagles quickly answered with two goals of their own, giving North Carolina a one goal lead with 8:23 remaining.
For Boston College, the one goal deficit proved insurmountable as UNC goalie Caylee Waters and the defense held Boston College scoreless over the final eight minutes to secure the victory.
