Tar Heels slip past Monarchs

Within the first five minutes of Saturday’s women’s lacrosse game, North Carolina found itself facing a two-goal deficit.

It looked like the Tar Heels might suffer their first consecutive losses of the season — but with last weekend’s humbling 14-7 defeat to Maryland still fresh on the players’ minds, UNC was able to squeak past Old Dominion by a score of 8-7 on Fetzer Field.

“We’ve had some pretty tough games this year coming down to wire,” said UNC sophomore Jess Allen. “I think we held it well.”

WOMEN'S LACROSSE Old Dominion 7 UNC 8

The Monarchs (3-12) jumped on the Tar Heels early, as Caroline Jacobs scored two quick goals to give her team the lead.

But the No. 9 Tar Heels (12-4) then went on a five-goal scoring spree to claim the lead at 5-2. Their dominance in draw controls contributed to the offensive success, as UNC won 11 of 17.

Still, North Carolina couldn’t find a defensive answer to Jacobs, and she scored two of the Monarchs’ next three goals. UNC’s Chrissy Rude chipped in with a goal in the final moments of the first half to give North Carolina a 6-5 advantage.

“When they scored four unanswered around the crease by (Jacobs), I was concerned that we weren’t adjusting to what they were doing,” said UNC coach Jenny Levy. “I thought they were low-percentage shots, and we needed to buckle down as a team and play with more intensity and make some better adjustments.”

UNC pulled starting goalkeeper Kristen Hordy during the break and replaced her with freshman Amanda Barnes, who had played in two games this season.

“Amanda has been playing well in practice,” Levy said. “Hordy has done a great job for us all season, and she’ll continue to be our starting keeper. But she was letting some stuff in that she knows, and we know, that she can save.”

But the keeper switch could not slow down Jacobs — after the break she scored another quick goal to tie the game at 6. For about 10 minutes in the second half, the score remained tied as both teams battled for control of the game.

UNC finally broke the tie when senior Allison Higgins fired a pass from behind the goal to sophomore Kelly Renzi, who found the back of the net for her second goal of the game. Eight minutes later, Allen scored the final goal of the game for the Tar Heels.

The Monarchs wouldn’t give up without a fight, though. With a minute left, Jacobs scored her sixth goal of the game on a free position shot to pull Old Dominion within one.

But UNC held onto the ball and let the clock wind down for the win.

The Tar Heels will face Virginia Tech — who they beat 12-10 on April 12 — on Thursday in the first game of the ACC Tournament. The winner will play No. 1 seed Duke, who the Tar Heels defeated 12-11 earlier this season.

“This team needs to come out with the same emotion they started the season with and needs to focus on Virginia Tech and not look beyond it,” Levy said. “We need to take care of business.

“When we get up we need to stay up and continue to play hard.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.