Starting this season where it left off, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team experienced yet another high-scoring game.
Except this time, the Tar Heels didn’t go home disappointed.
They ended last season with a 21-7 NCAA championship loss, where the team gave up the most points in a single game in the history of the program.
But in Sunday’s season opener against Denver, UNC was on the other end of a lopsided 18-7 score.
“We started out a little sloppy in the beginning, because it’s our first game,” senior midfielder Jenn Russell said. “Once we settled down, all the pieces seemed to come together.”
Despite ten turnovers and three yellow cards in the first half, UNC leapt to a quick lead over the Pioneers. Senior Kristen Taylor scored three of her four game goals in the first 25 minutes of play, and at halftime the Tar Heels led 11-4.
“I challenged my group early in the second half to come out and be sharper and do the things we want to do with more precision,” coach Jenny Levy said. “I was happy that we made that adjustment.”
Because of a first-half Denver yellow card, the Pioneers were one player down for the first two minutes of the second period. During that time, Megan Bosica and Taylor scored their third and fourth goals, respectively.
The Tar Heels took their first double-digit lead with more than 27 minutes left in the game when Russell scored on a free position shot. Less than two minutes later, she scored again from the arc after yet another costly Denver foul.
Pioneer mistakes might have helped North Carolina, but an obvious factor in the Tar Heels’ success was their ability to beat the Pioneers to the ball. UNC led Denver in draw controls 20-7.
“I think for any team this season, if you want to win games you’ve got to win the draw,” Levy said. “(In) the championship game last year, that’s still right on top of everyone’s head for sure. We couldn’t win a draw, and that really impacted our ability to have success on the field.”
Like last season, wins are likely to be a familiar trend for the Tar Heels. With 19 returning from last year’s squad, experience is something UNC will be able to depend on this spring.
And with a top-five ranking, it’s hard for the players not to think about the possibility of another stab at the title.
But Levy is remaining more focused on the present.
“My expectation right now is to get better every day,” she said. “We want to make improvements in practice, get sharper, understand what our roles are and how we’re going to play them in a game. We want to be brilliant. That’s our goal.”
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
