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The Daily Tar Heel

No. 2 UNC women's lacrosse gets past High Point, 13-9, on Friday night

Emma Trenchard High Point
UNC sophomore defender Emma Trenchard (23) charges at High Point midfielder Kaely Kyle (31) in Kenan Memorial Stadium on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. UNC won 13-9.

The No. 2 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team pulled away in the final nine minutes of the game to take care of High Point, 13-9, on Friday night at Kenan Memorial Stadium. 

UNC defeated High Point for the fifth consecutive year and the Tar Heels (2-0) now lead the all-time series with the Panthers (1-1), seven wins to none. 

What happened?

High Point senior attacker Allie Little scored the first goal of the game at the 25:53 mark of the first half, but the Panthers didn’t enjoy the lead for long.

Just 21 seconds later, UNC sophomore attacker Jamie Ortega struck. 

The reigning National and ACC Freshman of the Year scored twice in 25 seconds: at the 25:32 and 25:07 marks of the contest. She also assisted on the Tar Heels’ next two goals, before scoring the team’s final goal of the opening half. 

With 24:24 left to play until halftime, Ortega hit junior attacker Olivia Ferrucci with a pass on a fastbreak that led to UNC’s third goal of the contest. Then, with 6:21 left before the intermission, she found first-year attacker Tayler Warehime, who pump faked before slinging a ball past the feet of High Point goalie Sarah Zeto to give UNC a 4-2 advantage.

The Panthers quickly responded with a goal from junior midfielder Ashley Britton at the 5:55 mark. And even when Ortega found the top right corner of the net for her third goal of the contest, High Point answered with two more goals of its own to tie the game, 5-5, headed into halftime.

UNC looked to put the game away in the early minutes of the second half. By the 26:44 mark, first-year Elizabeth Hillman, Ortega and junior attacker Katie Hoeg had all scored. But just like in the first half, the Panthers had an answer. 

High Point went on a 4-2 run to cut its deficit to one goal with 11:44 left in the game. That’s when UNC head coach Jenny Levy called a timeout that seemed to reenergize her team.

The Tar Heels needed 5:06 of game time after they stepped back onto the field to build a cushion large enough to seal the deal. Senior midfielder Kara Klages, Ortega and Warehime all scored in that span before UNC cruised for the next six and half minutes to victory. 

Who stood out?

Ortega, who set the Tar Heel record for most goals by a first-year with 70 last season, continued the hot start to her sophomore campaign. The Centereach, N.Y. native scored six times against the Panthers and now has 11 goals on the season through two games. 

With two assists, Ortega had a hand in eight of UNC’s 13 total goals in the contest. 

When was it decided?

The game was a back-and-forth affair until Levy called a timeout at the 11:44 mark of the second half, when the Tar Heels led, 10-9. After the break, UNC scored three times in a little over five minutes to put the game out of reach.

Why does it matter?

Though it's early in the season, North Carolina would probably hope to put away unranked opponents, like High Point, earlier in games. Still, its play from the final few minutes of the contest is something it can build on. 

The Tar Heels hope to carry their momentum from a 2-0 season start into Sunday, when they take on East Carolina for the first time in program history at home. 

When do they play next?

North Carolina will play a third consecutive home game on Sunday at noon, when East Carolina visits Chapel Hill. 

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@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com