No. 2 UNC women's lacrosse beats No. 21 Jacksonville, 17-10

The No. 2 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team (5-0, 1-0 ACC) defeated No. 21 Jacksonville (2-2) 17-10 on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill.

What happened?

Graduate midfielder Ally Mastroianni scored a goal on the first possession within the first 30 seconds of the game. The Tar Heels quickly got another goal on the board with the second goal of the game coming from graduate attacker Sam Geiersbach, but Jacksonville struck back quickly to make the score 2-1 with about 12:30 minutes left in the first quarter.

With goalkeeper Taylor Moreno’s three consecutive saves, and three more late goals from fifth-year attacker Scottie Rose Growney, Geiersbach, and graduate midfielder Andie Aldave, UNC led 5-1 going into the second quarter.

Both teams scored early in the second quarter as Growney notched another goal for the Tar Heels, but Jacksonville quickly followed. Mastroianni answered with another goal and Growney continued her dominance to score her second goal of the quarter, bringing the score to 8-2 with over nine minutes remaining. Aldave added another goal despite a Jacksonville score off a free possession. UNC closed the quarter strong, adding two more late goals to lead by 11-4 going into the second half.

North Carolina immediately increased its lead by four to begin the third quarter with four unanswered goals, Aldave quickly picked up two of the four goals, one being off of a free possession attempt. 

Despite a Moreno save, Jacksonville senior Molly Brock scored a last-minute goal to bring Jacksonville’s total goals to five giving UNC a 10-point (15-5) lead ahead of the final quarter.

The fourth quarter brought a sloppy finish to the game for the Tar Heels. Jacksonville attacker Sarah Helms scored early, but Aldave quickly responded with her fifth goal of the game. It was back and forth for a few plays as Jacksonville found the net once again and Geiersbach answered for her fourth goal of the match. But following that play, it was all downhill from there for North Carolina. Jacksonville scored three unanswered goals. The final score was 17-10 as UNC scored only twice in the fourth quarter.

Who stood out? 

Head coach Jenny Levy expressed her praises for the dynamic offensive play throughout the game. Four UNC players recorded hat tricks on Sunday. Aldave led this strong goal scoring, converting five of five shots on goal. Geiersbach had four goals followed by Growney and Mastroianni, who both finished with three.

Moreno’s goalkeeping kept the Jacksonville offense on its toes especially throughout the first three quarters. She had 11 saves, recording a save percentage of over 60 percent.

When was it decided?

Despite an slow defensive finish to the game, UNC’s strong play early on and especially its work in the third quarter proved key to the victory.

UNC showed dominance over Jacksonville early, but it was their play during the third quarter that begun to seal the victory. Moreno’s defensive saves gave the team defensive control early but the four unanswered goals at the beginning of the third allowed the Tar Heels to run away.

Why does it matter?

This is the team’s fifth consecutive win of the season. With only one ACC game under their belt, matchups like this one allow the Tar Heels to find their groove headed into conference play.

The ACC Championships are about two months away, where the team will compete for its sixth consecutive title. Before then, however, the Tar Heels have their work cut out for them with a busy schedule including an away game on March 20th against No. 1 Boston College – the very team that knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament last spring.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will be back in action next Sunday, March 6th as they take on Northwestern on Dorrance Field at 12 p.m.  

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com