UNC women's lacrosse team continues undefeated streak

After a tight physical first half, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team pulled away from another overmatched opponent, defeating Florida 18-5 Sunday at Fetzer Field.

This is the fourth out of the Tar Heels’ first five games that they won by at least 10 goals.

The offense was led by the typical cast of characters, with seniors Megan Bosica, Jenn Russell and Kristen Taylor all scoring three or more goals.

The game wasn’t a total mismatch, as Florida scored three goals in the last three minutes of the first half to cut the Tar Heels’ (5-0) lead to 6-4 at the break.

Coach Jenny Levy said the poor first-half finish was due to her team concentrating on the wrong things.

“I thought we were losing our focus on things that we couldn’t control, i.e. the refs, and you just can’t do that,” Levy said. “You can’t control what they’re going to call, and you got to play above that.”

Bosica said the team came out in the second half with a much better mindset.

“I think poise was the key to the second half,” Bosica said. “We needed to come out here relaxed, and focus on the little things definitely helped us in the second half.”

The young Florida team that started all but one freshman is in its first year as a varsity program.

The Gators showed no backing down to the veteran UNC team as they played an aggressive game, especially in their defensive end.

“It was very physical, and they were being allowed to do some things that maybe aren’t within the rules, but that’s the deal, you can’t control that,” Levy said.

The physical play led to a slow, foul-filled game that included five total yellow cards, four going to Florida. Levy said she doesn’t mind the physical play and that her team just needs to adjust to it.

“We’re going to see physical defenses. That’s part of the game, it’s not a big deal to us. We have to take what they’re giving us and adjust and play the game,” Levy said. “It’s a chess match every game. Every defense is going to show you new challenges.”

Bosica, who had two of her four goals off free position shots following fouls by the Gators, said she actually loves a physical defense.

“It was definitely different from what we’ve seen, but personally I like that,” Bosica said.

The Gators’ rough play did cost them, as UNC scored nine of its 18 goals on free position shots resulting from fouls. The Tar Heels converted all but four of their 13 free-position chances.

On the defensive end, Logan Ripley was solid in goal, making a few outstanding saves on wide-open chances.

Florida goalkeeper Cara Canington also played excellently, keeping her team in the first half with five saves on 16 UNC shots.

But she was unable to keep up with the Tar Heels’ vaunted offense in the second half, facing eight free position shots and 20 shots overall.

The Tar Heels head into March undefeated and mostly untested. UNC will be challenged, facing three top-15 teams starting with No. 3 Penn on Saturday at home.

Bosica said she feels the team is prepared for the tougher opponents.

“Penn had a really good game on us last year, and I think we kind of want to show them that we can play with them and we’ve been working hard,” Bosica said. “It’s definitely going to be a great matchup.”



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.