If first impressions are everything, then the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team let Old Dominion know immediately that the attack would be relentless.
The Tar Heels leapt to a 4-0 lead in the first three minutes in the decisive 18-7 victory at Fetzer Field.
After picking up the first draw control of the game, UNC drew first blood off a goal by sophomore midfielder Kara Cannizzaro. The goal gave UNC an edge in a mere 48 seconds.
“We want to be the aggressor,” Cannizzaro said. “Getting out there and scoring really quick just sets a tone for the rest of the game, how we’re going to have energy, how we’re going to go after them.”
Thirty-six seconds later, UNC continued to set an energized tone as freshman attack Abbey Friend struck, slicing to the goal and burying what would be her first of the game-high four goals.
The offensive firepower continued as it took junior midfielder Laura Zimmerman only 17 seconds from the subsequent draw control to breakdown the ODU defense with the help of a Becky Lynch assist. The goal was the first of two consecutive goals scored in a minute and 17 seconds.
The quick scoring in the first three minutes of the first half came as UNC’s dominated draw controls. The Tar Heels won the four of the first five draw controls, scoring on three of the four resulting possessions.
“A draw control can equal a goal,” Zimmerman said. “You can’t score without the ball and I think the draw control is something that we’ve worked really hard on all season to take every time, so I think we did a pretty good job today of coming up with them.”
The deluge of early scoring knocked ODU on its heels and allowed UNC to capitalize on a confused Monarch offense, scoring 14 goals in the first half.
