While the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team has displayed its ability this season to pull out wins despite facing late-game deficits, the No. 2 Tar Heels (11-2, 4-1 ACC) faced an unfamiliar circumstance in the waning minutes of Saturday’s 14-13 loss to No. 1 Maryland (14-0, 4-0 ACC).
With 8:30 remaining, senior midfielder Kara Cannizzaro picked up her second yellow card of the game, forcing UNC’s leading scorer to exit the game with her team trailing 13-11.
“That was definitely not ideal — it was an awful way to finish such a good game,” Cannizzaro said. “But I had all the confidence in our team that they could win without me. Our team is so talented that one player isn’t going to affect how the rest play.
“We can produce as well with me off the field as with me on it.”
Junior attacker Abbey Friend said after the loss of Cannizzaro, the Tar Heels turned to one of their basic plays. And the simplicity seemingly translated into production for UNC, as Friend added two more goals and narrowed Maryland’s lead to 14-13 with 3:29 left in the game.
But Maryland’s answer to the late Tar Heel run was also simple — to stall — and the Terrapins used this strategy to remain undefeated and end UNC’s 11-game winning streak, which is tied for the second-longest in school history.
Coach Jenny Levy said the game was ultimately decided by the clock and therefore commended her team’s ability to respond down the stretch without its senior captain, Cannizzaro.
“We proved that we’re more than a one-man team,” Levy said. “With five freshmen on the field, we kept our composure and made a run for it.
“Unfortunately we just ran out of time.”
