Women's lacrosse plays Northwestern in third straight postseason tournament

When the No. 3-seeded North Carolina women’s lacrosse team makes its third straight appearance in the NCAA tournament semifinal on Friday, the Tar Heels will be facing a familiar opponent.

UNC (15-5) will face No. 2-seeded Northwestern on Friday night in Stony Brook, N.Y., marking the third straight year the Tar Heels will play the Wildcats (19-2) in the post season.

In February, Northwestern beat North Carolina 7-6 in an overtime thriller. And though her squad has already been successful against UNC this season, Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller knows the Wildcats might see some surprises in the postseason matchup.

“They’ve got some different people playing now and we’ve got some different people playing now,” Amonte Hiller said. “So, you know, (that win) can’t be a complete indicator. Ultimately, we have to just go out there and play our best game, Northwestern lacrosse, and see what happens.”

The Wildcats have been responsible for ending UNC’s tournament run in each of the last two seasons. In 2009, Northwestern downed UNC 21-7 in the national championship game. Last season, the Wildcats beat the Tar Heels 15-10 in the NCAA semifinal game. Northwestern went on to the national championship game for the second straight season, but ultimately fell to Maryland.

North Carolina hasn’t had much recent success against the Wildcats, but that doesn’t mean the Tar Heels are counting themselves out just yet.

UNC’s offense has been led by senior Corey Donohoe and junior Becky Lynch all season long, and coach Jenny Levy is looking forward to another stellar performance from her pair of standouts.

“They share the ball and they make their fellow teammates around them better,” Levy said. “I think that that’s what makes them so dynamic … They love the game. They go out every day. They’ve got a smile on their face. If you gave them an option of what they wanted to be doing every day, playing lacrosse would be the number one thing on their list.”

In UNC’s quarterfinal win against Loyola, seven different Tar Heels chipped in goals. Levy said the Tar Heels’ multiple offensive threats is the strength of her team.

In Evanston, it’s more of a one-woman show.

Junior Shannon Smith leads Northwestern with 119 points – and the next closest Wildcat has just 43. Smith averages 3.71 goals per game – ranking fourth in Division I women’s lacrosse. Averaging 14.24 points per game, Northwestern ranks eighth in the country in scoring offense.

But allowing an average of just 8.3 goals per game, the Tar Heels have the fifth best scoring defense in the land. The Wildcats’ seven goals against UNC in February was the least amount of goals scored against any opponent during the 2011 campaign.

For North Carolina’s juniors and seniors, a trip to the final four is nothing new. And though each year presents a brand new set of challenges, Levy admits that her players’ experience playing at such a high level can only help them moving forward.

“What it comes down to is your focus, your preparation and can your kids go out there and have a good time and perform the way they want to perform,” Levy said. “And some of that experience helps you do that.”