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The Daily Tar Heel

Strong second half boosts No. 2 UNC women's lacrosse to 15-13 win over No. 19 Boston College

A second-half comeback boosted the No. 2 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team to conclude a perfect four-game homestand with a 15-13 victory over No. 19 Boston College Saturday.

Trailing by two goals at halftime, the Tar Heels outscored Boston College 11-7 in the second half to win for the 10th time in a row at Fetzer Field.

What happened?

Facing one of the top-scoring offenses in the country, UNC (9-1, 2-0) exchanged a pair of goals with Boston College (8-4, 1-3) in the opening minutes, and the two teams were tied more than halfway through the first half. But the Eagles, led by senior attacker Kate Weeks, scored four of the game’s next six goals, as the visitors led by as many as three in the first half.

Weeks, who entered Saturday’s contest averaging 3.45 goals per game, found the back of the net three times in the opening half. The Tar Heels, however, entered the break on a high-note thanks to a score by senior attacker Sydney Holman that came in the final second of the half to cut Boston College’s lead to two.

The momentum from that goal continued into the second half, and a dominant performance by sophomore midfielder Kara Klages helped power the UNC offense.

Having recorded only two goals on the season before Saturday, Klages scored a pair in a 21-second span and assisted senior midfielder Sammy Joe Tracy’s game-tying goal with 24:22 remaining.

From there, UNC head coach Jenny Levy’s squad never looked back.

Four goals in a span of 5:10 helped the Tar Heels build their advantage to four, as Holman added her second score, while junior midfielders Maggie Bill and Marie McCool joined sophomore defender Caroline Wakefield to get involved in the action.

While the Eagles scored back-to-back goals to pull within two, the Tar Heels ultimately protected their advantage to pull out the win.

Who stood out?

It was quite the day for Klages, who made as big of an impact against Boston College as she had all season. More importantly, the Bel Air, Md., product’s contributions came when her team needed her the most, with the Tar Heels trailing by three before her two scores.

LIke Klages, Holman helped keep UNC afloat with her three-point performance.

Eventually, the usual suspects for UNC helped wear down Boston College, as McCool, Bill, junior midfielder Ela Hazar and senior attacker Molly Hendrick combine for 12 points (nine goals, three assists).

Senior goalie Caylee Waters also stepped up for UNC, making 12 saves.

When was it decided?

After a couple of goals by the Eagles cut the Tar Heels’ lead down to two, two scores in a span of 14 seconds by McCool and Hendrick gave UNC some comfort room and more or less helped secure the win.

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels don’t return to Fetzer Field until Senior Day on April 15 when they face No. 8 Syracuse, so it was important for UNC to get a good result before beginning a three-game road trip that includes a game against No. 16 Notre Dame.

With the win, the Tar Heels also extended their winning streak against ACC foes to 15 games.

Where do they play next?

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UNC will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to face Virginia Tech on Tuesday. The Tar Heels went 2-0 against the Hokies last season.

@Brennan_Doherty

sports@dailytarheel.com