UNC women's lacrosse bounces back from Maryland loss with win over Northwestern

On Saturday afternoon, the No. 3 North Carolina (4-1) women’s lacrosse team celebrated its debut in the new UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium with a 21-11 win over No. 5 Northwestern (4-2) in a powerhouse matchup between two of the best teams in the country.

The new stadium seems to pay homage to the previous field, with the traditional blue track that had previously surrounded Fetzer Field being replaced by blue seats around the complex for the fans. 

“It’s awesome,” sophomore Jamie Ortega said. “I've never played on this field. As soon as I got here (last year), we played in Kenan Stadium, so being able to start off our year here is something amazing.”

Despite the excitement around the new stadium, the Tar Heels weren’t going to allow themselves to be distracted from the game. Heading into Saturday, UNC was coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to No. 2 Maryland, 13-12. After the game, junior Olivia Ferrucci talked about how the team’s mindset propelled North Carolina to bounce back from the previous loss.

“We were kind of under-impressed with our own performance,” Ferrucci said. “We wanted to come out today and show what we truly have.”

UNC did just that as the Tar Heels got off to a hot start, jumping out to an 8-1 lead over the Wildcats in the first 17 minutes of the game.

Sophomore Taylor McDaniels was a key to the North Carolina offense, as she scored three of those first eight goals, setting a new career high for goals in a game. McDaniels finished the game with five goals and got her first assist of the season.

“I think it really set a high tone that we’re going to keep pushing this season,” McDaniels said. “I’ve really improved on seeing the field and being more aggressive but also trusting my teammates.”

If McDaniels’s performance was aggressive, then Ortega’s was downright vicious. The sophomore attacker tied hercareer high for goals in a game with seven, while simultaneously tying her career high for assists in a game with three.

Saturday’s performance was a perfect illustration of why Ortega was recently named a top-50 finalist for the annual Tewaaraton Award that is given to the national player of the year. Ortega shared her thoughts about what it means to be considered for such an award.

“It’s a huge honor,” Ortega said. “But there’s 50 players who are just as good as me on that list, so it’s kind of like a motivation to see how hard I can push myself.”

Several of Ortega’s goals came at a crucial time for the Tar Heels throughout the game. Her first two helped North Carolina set the tone early when the team got the initial 8-1 lead to start the game.

When the second half started and Northwestern scored a pair of goals rather quickly, Ortega responded with a score of her own to kill any momentum the Wildcats had created. Finally, for good measure, Ortega picked up an assist and her final goal of the afternoon in the final three minutes, helping secure the statement win for UNC.

Head coach Jenny Levy was proud of her team's effort in response to the Maryland game.

“Obviously, we’re really excited to be able to open up the new stadium with a decisive win over a really good program,” Levy said. “That team has been averaging 18 goals a game (the team averaged 19.4) and to be able to hold them to three in the first half was great.”

@McMastersJ

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com