UNC women's lacrosse downs Loyola in NCAA quarterfinals

Just as the first-half clock wound down in the No. 3-seeded North Carolina women’s lacrosse NCAA quarterfinal matchup with No. 6-seeded Loyola, Greyhound goalie Kerry Stoothoff earned what would have been her fifth save of the game.

But on her way to the goal, UNC midfielder Laura Zimmerman drew a foul. With just three seconds left before intermission, Zimmerman netted the free-position shot, giving the Tar Heels a 10-7 lead going into halftime.

North Carolina would lead for the rest of the game, and the Tar Heels came away from Fetzer Field with a 16-13 win against the Greyhounds.

After a first half that featured six tie scores and three lead changes, coach Jenny Levy was relieved to have the little bit of breathing room caused by Zimmerman’s last-second goal.

“That was a really big momentum swing for us,” Levy said. “It was a great momentum builder for halftime and gave us a little bit of a cushion.”

The Tar Heels trailed for much of the first half due to Grace Gavin’s three goals. The Loyola attacker added two more after intermission and led the Greyhounds in scoring.

UNC began controlling play early in the second half, and the Tar Heels led by as many as five goals. But the Loyola wouldn’t give up without a fight.

Late in the second half, the Greyhounds outscored UNC 4-2, but Loyola simply didn’t have enough time to complete its comeback.

“The last 10 minutes were an adventure that we prefer not repeat,” Levy said.

The matchup was a physical battle on both sides of the ball, and North Carolina and Loyola both had five free-position shots. Eight yellow cards were issued during the game and the Greyhounds racked up 36 fouls to UNC’s 26.

Levy said she was pleased with how her team handled the Greyhounds’ aggressiveness.

“Our girls don’t mind a physical game,” Levy said. “They like to play a physical game. We prefer as coaches to see discipline and poise. But those three things together really make a great combination.”

Zimmerman led the Tar Heels with four goals and an assist, and senior Corey Donohoe chipped in four points of her own. The pair had to weather a storm in order to lead the Tar Heels to the tournament win.

But for Donohoe, earning a spot in the final four for the third straight year was well worth the fight.

“This is what we work for all year long, to get back to this point,” Donohoe said. “I’m really proud of what our team did today.

It was a tough battle out there and we stuck together the whole time and never gave up.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.