In lacrosse, goals get the headlines.
Dramatic saves by goalies or defenders are also recognized as important, game-changing plays.
But in the midst of all the flashy goals and strong defensive stands, another play goes largely unnoticed, but is exceedingly important.
That play, is called the clear.
And for the No. 1 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team , the clear has been a focus all season on the team's way to a 11-0, 4-0 ACC record, including its 21-9 thrashing of Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.
A clear is simply moving the ball from a team’s defensive third of the field into its offensive third of the field after recording a defensive stop via a save by the goalie or a forced turnover from a defender.
Seems simple, but it can be incredibly difficult and can often be the difference between winning and losing.
“The clear is huge,” said senior attacker Taylor George.
“Defensive stops are not all that important if you can’t get the ball into the offensive end, and it's something we work a lot on in practice, and we really focus a lot on it in games. The fact that we’re able to clear so efficiently is a huge, huge strength that we have.”