3 things to note from No. 1 UNC women's lacrosse 13-10 win over No. 3 Florida

The No. 1 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team was offered an early season test when it traveled to face No. 3 Florida on Saturday. The Tar Heels performed well, winning 13-10.

While the game wasn’t decided until the final minutes, UNC’s ability to win on the road against a highly-skilled opponent is proof that the Tar Heels are capable of repeating last year’s success.

Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Pick your poison

In UNC’s season-opening win against James Madison on Feb. 4, junior midfielder Marie McCool ran the show on offense, scoring six goals and recording two assists.

In Gainesville, the Gators keyed in on McCool, keeping her scoreless on just three shots.

However, her teammates more than picked up the slack.

Led by junior midfielder Ela Hazar’s six-point performance (two goals, four assists), six different players scored for North Carolina, which showed the team can be balanced and dangerous offensively.

“She’s a very unselfish player and she did her job today, which was what we needed her to do,” head coach Jenny Levy said of Hazar. “And it’s not by accident that she ended up with four (assists).”

In addition to Hazar, senior Sammy Jo Tracy also made an impact, scoring a team-best four goals in the victory, three of which came in the final four minutes of the game.

“We’re a team of one, not just one star, but we have a lot of players who can contribute and I think that’s very special,” said Tracy, who also won 10 draws.

Finishing strong

After a good first half, UNC took a three-goal advantage into halftime. But as the game progressed, so did Florida’s ability to attack offensively. The Gators drew even with just under eight minutes left and with newfound momentum, they looked poised to win the game outright.

But with Tracy leading the fight, UNC outscored the Gators 4-1 in the final 4 minutes.

While she was already a key factor throughout the day because of her ability to win draws for the Tar Heels, Tracy didn’t get to play a big role on offense until the final stages of the game. She made the most of her opportunities, though.

“I love moments like that, and I think the key is to just play my role,” Tracy said. “I didn’t get to go in a lot on attack throughout the whole game. Coach told us a couple of key points like cutting from the 12 instead of the 8 and I just did what I was supposed to do, and the ball came to me and I just pulled the trigger.”

Levy sees improvement defensively

Against James Madison, UNC looked a bit vulnerable defensively at times, allowing the Dukes to score 14 times and register 24 shots on goal.

But Levy thought her team played better on defense against Florida — bolstered by 12 saves from senior goalie Caylee Waters.

Not only did UNC successfully complete 17 of 18 clear attempts, the Tar Heels surrendered only three first-half goals and didn’t allow the Gators to find their groove until midway through the second half.

“I really liked what we did defensively today,” Levy said. “There was much improvement from last weekend against a Florida team that has some really strong players, especially some really strong dodgers, who are very capable. More than capable, they’re just really talented, and I thought we handled that pressure from them very well.”

@brennan_doherty

sports@dailytarheel.com