Appelt leads UVa. rout

On paper, it was an upset.

But the No. 6 Virginia women’s lacrosse team showed that it was no underdog with an 11-5 thrashing of No. 4 North Carolina on Saturday at Fetzer Field.

The defending national champion Cavaliers came into Chapel Hill confident and intense and took control of the game from the opening face-off. UVa. (4-1, 2-0 in the ACC) rattled off four goals in the first 15 minutes to build an early lead, and the Tar Heels were never closer than two goals after that.

“I thought our kids got a little down on themselves and lost some focus,” said UNC coach Jenny Levy. “We did not play our most energetic style, and we need to do that.”

WOMEN'S LACROSSE Virginia 11 UNC 5

With 9:39 remaining in the first half, UNC was still in the game when Kelly Renzi found the net and cut the Virginia lead to 4-2. The Tar Heels (6-2, 1-1) had the momentum and the crowd behind them.

But they didn’t have Amy Appelt.

A Virginia timeout settled the Cavaliers, and one minute later Appelt fired in her second — and most impressive — of her three goals on a quick spin move.

Appelt shattered an ACC record last year with 90 goals, and Saturday’s hat trick was her third in five games this year. Last season’s consensus national player of the year even drew some favorable comparisons to Levy, who was herself a two-time All-American for the Cavaliers.

“She’s better than I was,” Levy said. “She’s much more dynamic a player. … I don’t know if you can contain her. I think if you are going to contain her with doubling her, she’s going to find the open kid, and they’ll burn you that way.”

Appelt was far from the only weapon for the Cavaliers, as six different UVa. players notched goals in the game. UNC fought back to close the halftime deficit to 5-3, but Virginia rattled off five straight goals after the break to put to rest any chances of a Tar Heel victory.

The Cavaliers controlled the tempo in the second half and were patient on the offensive end, never hurrying their shots. Though UVa. more than doubled the Tar Heels’ goal output, the Cavaliers only outshot UNC by two.

“That’s definitely something we’ve been practicing, just not to rush it,” Appelt said. “We did a great job today of looking for the better shot, the best chance at goals.”

Defensively, Ginger Miles had a career-high 15 saves for the Cavaliers, who effectively shut down the Tar Heels.

Renzi led the UNC attack with two goals, but North Carolina’s offensive unit was plagued with fundamental mistakes. Several chances to make the game competitive in the first half went by the wayside as Tar Heels fumbled the ball in front of the Virginia net.

“Fundamentally, we need to be sharper,” Levy said. “This team cannot afford to not play with energy.”

After the game, Levy continually spoke about the energy UNC lacked, saying it will be one of the keys to success for North Carolina for the rest of the season. The Tar Heels still have to face four of the top 20 teams in the country, and they might face more results like Saturday’s if their intensity is lacking.

“It wasn’t an X’s and O’s problem today,” Levy said.

“The thing is that we need to make sure we don’t come out flat. … We had some good individual effort, but we did not play as a team today.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.