With the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team losing a generational goal-scorer in Jamie Ortega after she graduated, it was up in the air as to who would fill her shoes. In a 14-9 season-opening win against James Madison, the Tar Heels may have found the answer.
First-year midfielder Marissa White recorded a five-goal outing in her first game in a North Carolina uniform. She became the first UNC first-year to have at least five goals in a game since her teammate, junior attacker Caitlyn Wurzburger, did the same in the Tar Heels’ regular season game against Duke in 2021.
Junior attacker Reilly Casey also stepped up in the Tar Heels’ season opener, collecting three goals and three assists.
Nothing came easy against an aggressive JMU defense. The Dukes played an extremely physical 40 minutes of lacrosse, and it was not easy to create scoring opportunities through the defenders stacked in front of the goal.
Luckily for White, she already had some practice playing against some of the best defenders in the country.
“Going against our defense everyday just prepares the offense for every game and gives us confidence going into it,” White said.
In the first two quarters, the Tar Heels couldn't get in an offensive rhythm. The Dukes defense seemed to continuously cause problems when North Carolina tried to attack the goal, causing a multitude of turnovers and easy saves by JMU goalie Kat Buchanan.
“I thought the ball movement was really good in the first half,” UNC women’s lacrosse head coach Jenny Levy said. “We just missed some really easy feeding opportunities.”
JMU found themselves carrying the momentum in the early portions of the game. Soon, the Tar Heels found themselves looking for a late spark at the end of the first quarter.