The No. 3 North Carolina women's lacrosse team (3-1) came up short against No. 2 Maryland (3-0) in double overtime, 13-12, despite a second half comeback.
What happened?
The Tar Heels had a slow start to the day, falling into a 3-0 hole after the first six minutes of the game. The team was able to respond through goals scored by first-year Elizabeth Hillman, junior Katie Hoeg and sophomore Jamie Ortega to tie the match.
Maryland senior Jen Giles then netted in her second goal of the day, sparking a run that extended all the way until the end of the first half. The Terrapins scored a total of six goals in under 20 minutes, while holding the Tar Heels to only one. During this run, Giles had two goals and two assists. Maryland went into the locker room with a comfortable 9-4 halftime lead.
The Tar Heels did not back down – they began the second half strong, scoring the first three goals. After Maryland got their lead back up to four, UNC put together a five-goal run. Ortega and senior Gianna Bowe each had two goals to tie up the game at 11. Sophomore Ally Mastroianni then capitalized on a free position shot to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the game.
At the 6:13 mark, the Terrapins were able to tie the game up with a huge goal by junior Kali Hartshorn. Neither team was able to net a winning goal during regulation, forcing a sudden-death overtime.
During the first overtime, the Tar Heels went down three players after receiving two yellow cards and one green card. Maryland had a prime scoring opportunity on a free position shot towards the end of the first overtime, but UNC sophomore goalie Taylor Moreno came up with an incredible save to continue the game. The Tar Heels were able to survive into a second overtime period.
The second overtime, however, did not last long. Maryland senior Caroline Steele scored the game-winning goal off the draw to give the Terrapins a 13-12 victory.
