Princeton Mauls Tar Heels in Semifinals

Theresa Sherry scored five goals and Whitney Miller added four to lead Princeton to a 16-2 victory over the Tar Heels.

The 14-goal margin is the most lopsided loss for the seven-year-old North Carolina program. It is also the second largest margin of victory in a national semifinal, falling one short of Maryland's 19-4 win over Loyola in 1994.

Princeton (18-1) dominated Friday's contest from the start.

Sherry opened the scoring at 1:23 into the first half.

Five different Tigers scored to build an 8-goal lead before the Tar Heels (17-3) even got on the board.

Lindsay Stone broke up the shutout with a goal at 27:16 of the first half. The score heading into halftime had Princeton leading the Tar Heels 8-1.

The second half began much like the first, with Sherry scoring her second goal 1:10 into the period to give the Tigers a 9-1 advantage.

Following a North Carolina goal, the Tigers answered with two of their own just 13 seconds apart to push the score to 11-2.

Just after Sherry netted her fifth goal of the match, the game was interrupted by thunderstorms, which prompted a 65-minute delay midway through the second half.

When play resumed, Princeton picked up where it left off.

The Tigers scored immediately, with Charlotte Kenworthy scoring on an assist from Lauren Simone, giving Kenworthy her third goal of the night.

Miller added her third goal late in the contest to close out the scoring -- and the Tar Heels' season.

Princeton outshot the Tar Heels 14-2 over the first 16 minutes, building a 6-0 lead.

North Carolina managed only two shots over the first 14 minutes.

Princeton finished the game outshooting the Tar Heels 31-14.

Sarah Kolodner and Meghan McInnes split time in goal for Princeton, combining for seven saves to hold the Tar Heels to two goals, a Final Four record low.

This year's Final Four appearance was North Carolina's third in five years, and the 17 wins established a new season best.

Princeton went on to defeat Georgetown 12-7 in Sunday's national championship game.

With the win, Princeton avenged its only loss of the entire season to capture its first national championship since 1994.