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The Daily Tar Heel

No. 5 UNC women's lacrosse blows out Louisville, 16-6

Olivia Ferrucci VT

The North Carolina women's lacrosse team swarms sophomore Olivia Ferrucci (77) after her game-winning goal against Virginia Tech on March 28 at Kenan Stadium.

The No. 5 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team looked sharp despite harsh weather in its 16-6 win over Louisville.

What happened?

The Tar Heels (9-3, 4-1 ACC) struck first, with sophomore Katie Hoeg scoring within the first three minutes, assisted by senior Ela Hazar. This was followed quickly by another UNC goal from first-year Jamie Ortega, assisted by Hoeg

Louisville (6-8, 0-5 ACC) responded with an unassisted goal from first-year Caroline Blalock, which the Tar Heels quickly responded to with an unassisted goal of their own, this time from junior Gianna Bowe.

This was followed by another UNC goal, this time from junior Kara Klages, assisted by first-year Taylor McDaniels. This made the score 4-1 UNC with 16 minutes remaining in the first half.

After several minutes with neither team finishing chances, UNC turned it on, scoring three goals within four minutes — the first a free-position goal from senior Marie McCool; the second from Hoeg (2) assisted by Ortega; and the third an unassisted goal from Ortega (2).

The Cardinals responded with a goal from another Blalock sister, this time an unassisted goal from first-year midfielder Sarah. This was the final goal of the first half, with the score being 7-2 UNC.

The second half started with more scoring from the UNC, with the Tar Heels scoring three in the first three minutes. Louisville answered with an unassisted goal from senior midfielder Julia Wood, making the score 10-3 UNC with 26 minutes left in the game.

This didn’t slow UNC down, though — the Tar Heels came back with three more goals, making the score 13-4 UNC with 11 minutes left in the game. Two more Louisville goals and a final UNC goal ended the game at 16-6.

Who stood out?

The Tar Heels had a lot of offensive threats in their win, finishing the game with eight different scorers and five different assisters on 16 total goals. However, it was Hoeg who really stood out, finishing the game with a career-high five goals, as well as two assists.

Ortega was another offensive threat for the Tar Heels, racking up three goals and three assists, two of those assists going to Hoeg. Bill contributed her fair share as well, finishing with two assists and one goal.

When was it decided?

The Tar Heels dominated for the entire game, taking up most of the possession time and offensive chances — holding the Cardinals to only 20 shots total, with 12 on goal, versus 38 shots (26 on cage) from the Tar Heels.

However, UNC really pulled away in the second half, scoring three quick goals that gave them a comfortable eight-goal cushion with a running clock starting soon after.

Why does it matter?

This win brings the Tar Heels conference record to 4-1, giving them confidence as they take on No. 18 Syracuse next week in their fifth ACC matchup this season.

In addition, this game brings UNC’s record to 9-3, keeping them on track for an impressive record and high seeding as the regular season nears its end and the team heads to ACC and NCAA tournaments.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels with travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to face off against the Orange on Saturday, April

14 at noon.

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@_jakeschmitz | @DTHSports

sports@dailytarheel.com