Wildcats' zone defense trips up UNC

The one-goal game.

It’s plagued the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team for two seasons and reared its head again Sunday as the Tar Heels fell 6-5 to No. 3 Northwestern at Fetzer Field.

After the Wildcats switched to a zone defense in the second half, No. 6 UNC failed to find the back of the net and gave up a 5-2 halftime lead.

“We got frazzled,” said senior attacker Allison Higgins, who had one goal in the loss. “We needed people to be going through and working harder off ball.”

WOMEN'S LACROSE Northwestern 6 UNC 5

UNC coach Jenny Levy said the offense needs to play with more intensity and finish a game.

“You’re not going to win games scoring five goals,” she said.

Only a stellar defensive effort allowed the Tar Heels (0-1) to stay in the game. Higgins said she had never seen the defense play so well.

Goalkeeper Kristen Hordy anchored the defense with 15 saves.

“Kristen Hordy played great; love to see her open her season with that type of play,” Levy said.

Led by junior Lindsey Munday, NU (1-0) outshot UNC 33-16.

Munday, a preseason third team All-American, rocketed in the game-winning goal from eight meters out with 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the game.

She also dished an assist to Kristen Kjellman, Inside Lacrosse’s 2004 National Rookie of the Year, and Kjellman fired in a shot from just outside the crease with 5:33 left to tie the game at five.

“Sometimes the communication on defense wasn’t perfect,” Hordy said. “We can’t be 100 percent all the time.”

Even though the Wildcats possessed the ball for the majority of the game and led 2-1 after 15 minutes of play, the Tar Heels seized the momentum during the last four minutes of the first half.

With 3:46 until the break, Higgins positioned herself behind the net and slid a pass to junior midfielder Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy, who played with a brace because of a torn ACL, put in a shot to give the Tar Heels their first lead at 3-2.

Thirty seconds later, UNC sophomore Jess Allen broke loose and fired a quick shot for her second goal of the game. Sophomore midfielder Christina Juras scored North Carolina’s fifth and final goal 18 seconds before halftime.

But the Tar Heels were unable adapt to the NU second-half defense. UNC addressed breaking through the weak backside of the zone during three timeouts but didn’t capitalize.

“We need to be able to make the changes come game day as to how it affects us on the field,” Levy said.

But falling to a squad that made it to last year’s NCAA quarterfinals has not fazed North Carolina.

“I think for us to play this well against a team like that in our first game, it tells us something,” Hordy said. It tells us that, yeah, we have work to do, but we can play with these teams.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.