No. 1 UNC women's lacrosse thrashes High Point, 19-5, to remain undefeated since 2019

The top-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team beat the High Point Panthers by 14 goals on Sunday, 19-5, to move to 3-0 on the young season.  

What happened?

UNC was able to put together a well-rounded game, dominating the Panthers on both ends of the field.

The Tar Heels came out of the gates ready to play, out-shooting High Point 37-26 and winning 18 out of 26 draws.

UNC got out to an early 8-0 lead in the first half and was able to stretch the lead to 11 heading into halftime. The 12-1 Tar Heel lead gave head coach Jenny Levy the chance to build some depth in the second half as she gave playing time to some of her reserves. The Tar Heels didn’t have much falloff, scoring seven more goals to break their season-high of 14 goals in one game during the second half.

Three out of four Tar Heel goalies saw action Sunday, and they were able to hold the Panthers to five total goals, blocking eight out of 13 shots on goal.

Who stood out? 

Senior attacker Jamie Ortega led the way for the Tar Heels with six total points, scoring four goals to go along with two assists. The six points for Ortega moved her to second place on the all-time scoring list at UNC, where she trails teammate Katie Hoeg by 16 points.

Hoeg, along with fellow attacker Scottie Rose Growney contributed their fair share in the rout of the Panthers as well, finishing with three goals and two assists each.

Senior Taylor Moreno led the Tar Heels in the net, allowing just one goal and blocking six shots in the first half for her third win of the season.

For High Point, attacker Abby Hormes scored four out of her team's five goals.

When was it decided?

The Tar Heels were able to get out to an early 8-0 lead and finished the first half with 12 goals. UNC led by 11 goals going into halftime to give North Carolina a steep advantage that was near-impossible for the unranked Panthers to come back from.

UNC didn’t back down much in the second half, scoring seven more goals, while getting some reserves key playing time in the process.

Why does it matter?

The win is a big one for the top-ranked Tar Heels, who will start conference play with three decisive wins under their belt.

UNC was able to knock off two top-ten teams in its first three games to give the Tar Heels confidence as they look to build on their 10-game win streak that dates back to last season, while also looking to defend their 2019 ACC Championship in the process.

UNC was also able to spread the playing time around Sunday in the second half, with three out of four goalkeepers seeing action alongside some other key reserves that the Tar Heels will need as they head into conference play.    

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will return to Dorrance Field on Friday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. to take on Duke, the No. 8 team in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll.

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