North Carolina
Virginia
Tar Heels Win At Virginia, 10-9
March 18, 2006 | Women's Lacrosse
March 18, 2006
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- The North Carolina women's lacrosse team, ranked No. 8 in the nation in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll, won its first road game of the season when it defeated No. 5 Virginia, 10-9, on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va. The Tar Heels' Kristen Hordy made 16 saves to lead the UNC defensive effort. Neither team led by more than two goals during the back-and-forth contest.
Trailing 9-8 with under 10 minutes to play, Erica LaGrow and Christina Juras scored back-to-back goals in a span of 54 seconds to give Carolina would would be its final margin of victory. Hordy made two key saves in the final minutes to preserve the win.
Carolina improved to 5-2 this season, 3-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia fell to 6-2, 2-1.
The victory broke a three-game losing streak to Virginia and was Carolina's first over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville since the 2000 season. UNC is now 4-5 all-time against UVa in Charlottesville.
The Tar Heels were led by Melissa McCarthy and Brooke Dieringer, both of whom had one goal and two assists. Christina Juras (two goals) and Stephanie Scurachio (two goals) had two points apiece.
The Cavaliers led early as Kim Connors controlled the loose ball after a UNC shot went wide and at the other end of the field. Blair Weymouth rolled the crease for the first goal of the game at 8:00.
Seconds later UNC tied it up as Melissa McCarthy fed a pass to Dieringer, who scored at 8:44. Virginia went ahead again as Nikki Lieb stuck back the rebound of a shot less than a minute after UNC tied the game to put the Cavaliers back on top. UNC then scored twice in 100 seconds as Kelly Taylor converted a feed from McCarthy and Scurachio scored on a solo effort to put the Tar Heels in front 3-2 at 11:55. UNC took a two-goal lead at 16:31 when Meg Freshwater converted a Dieringer pass to give the Heels a 4-2 lead.
Virginia pulled within one as Connors won the draw and the Cavaliers possessed the ball for eight minutes before Connors was awarded an 8-meter shot on a 3-seconds violation. She scored at 25:40 to pull within one. UNC was able to get possession in the final minute of the half and Katie Brooks scored at 29:26 to give the Tar Heels a 5-3 lead at the break.
The Cavaliers battled back and pulled within one goal as Weymouth picked up a UNC turnover and took it down to the offensive zone where Virginia settled their offense before Weymouth rolled the crease and scored at 32:17. UNC again went ahead by two as Scurachio scored on one of the two 8-meter shots surrendered by the Cavalier defense on the day.
Virginia again fought back and Hauser intercepted a pass on the goal line extended and gave possession to the Cavaliers. A Megan O'Malley shot off the fast break hit the pipe, and Virginia reset their offense before Tyler Leachman drove from the top and scored at 38:25, pulling Virginia to a 5-6 game. UNC answered back with a Juras goal off a Dieringer assist at 40:24 to push the margin back to two at 7-5.
The Cavaliers responded as Ginger Miles made a save and Claire Bordley scooped up the ground ball. The Hoos got the ball to Weymouth, who cleared the ball upfield before dishing it off to Leachman, who was fouled on a drive to the cage. Leachman converted the free position shot to pull within one at 41:42.
Virginia tied the game after an errant UNC shot went out of bounds and Miles gained possession in the goal circle. She cleared the ball upfield where Leachman dumped a pass into Lieb, who flipped it over her back for the game-tying score at 7-7 with 13:32 to play. Carolina led again minutes later as McCarthy was fouled on the left-hand hanging hash and converted the tough shot at 49:01 for an 8-7 lead.
Again the Cavaliers tied the game as Jessy Morgan pressured a Carolina turnover and Virginia advanced the ball upfield where Whitaker Hagerman took from the top, scoring at 50:23 to tie the game at 8-8. Seconds later a Carolina shot that hit the pipe was picked up by Jen Holden in the Virginia defensive arc and at the other end of the field a Weymouth pass was tipped up by a UNC defender, but Leachman controlled the ball and ran it in for a goal at 51:50, giving the Hoos the lead at 9-8.
Carolina then scored twice in the span of 54 seconds as LaGrow and Juras both connected to give the Tar Heels the lead again at 55:13. The Cavaliers won the draw but turned the ball over, and Carolina twice threw the ball away in the midfield on the clear, but both times Hordy was able to make a save, propelling the Tar Heels to the victory.
The Tar Heels will return to action next weekend at the ACC/American Lacrosse Conference Challenge in College Park, Md. Carolina will play Ohio State on Friday at 5 p.m. and Penn State on Sunday at noon.
