UNC Romps in 2nd Straight Opener

The North Carolina women's lacrosse team defeated Davidson 17-3 on Sunday at Henry Stadium to begin the season, just like they defeated the Wildcats 17-3 in Chapel Hill in the first game last season.

Despite the high goal total at the game's end, both teams started out slow. But while UNC was able to pick up its pace, Davidson never got out of first gear.

In the eighth minute, senior attacker Erin McInnes got things going for the Tar Heels, scoring from a pass by sophomore Brooke Young.

"It took us a while to get on the board," said UNC coach Jenny Slingluff Levy. "But once you score the first couple of goals, (the players) start to loosen up."

Less than a minute after McInnes' goal, senior midfielder Christine McPike intercepted a Davidson pass at midfield and sprinted in for a breakaway goal.

For the game, McPike scored five goals, one shy of the single-game school record.

After McPike's first goal, UNC (1-0) went through another scoring slump, scoring only once until the 19th minute, at which point the team scored five goals in the next four minutes.

By that time, the game seemed out of the Wildcats' reach. UNC led 8-1 at halftime, with the only goal for Davidson (1-1) coming as the result of an errant pass from UNC goalie Katelyn Hoffman.

The goal featured a rare Wildcat appearance into UNC territory, as most of the game was played in Davidson's half of the field.

"We made them bobble the ball a lot at midfield," said senior midfielder Kellie Thompson. "And that led to a lot of opportunities for our attack."

Turnovers weren't the only thing that hurt Davidson. Penalties also cost the Wildcats, as six of UNC's 17 scores were free-position goals.

Senior Lindsay Stone and Young each had one free-position goal, and the tandem led the Tar Heels' second-half offense, combining for five goals and two assists after halftime.

The Tar Heels' large lead allowed Slingluff Levy to play a more inexperienced lineup for most of the second half.

And although that lineup allowed two late goals, Slingluff Levy said she was happy with its performance.

"The younger guys get in, and they're nervous and want to do well," Slingluff Levy said. "I thought once they got scored on, they settled down and did what they needed to do."

And Young said that the team, though happy with the win, could make some improvements.

"I think we could work on running our plays and our transition," Young said. "Everything could be worked on."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.