UNC women's lacrosse defeats Syracuse on Senior Day

The stage was fittingly set for the North Carolina women's lacrosse seniors on Saturday. 

The sun was out, temperatures were in the seventies, and a record-setting crowd of 2,098 at Fetzer Field arrived to watch UNC (12-2, 5-1 ACC) take on Syracuse (9-6, 2-4 ACC) in its final home game of the regular season. And in picture-perfect fashion, the Tar Heels came away with a dominating 15-8 win. 

Before the game, the team honored its 10 seniors, including Sarah Scott, a member of UNC’s dynamic defense.

“We (seniors) love each other,” Scott said. “There is nothing better than having everyone get on the field and everyone playing well.”

Coach Jenny Levy said the seniors are important to the team both on and off the field.

“(The seniors) are great,” she said. ‘They are fun to coach, and they are really good at what they do, so I appreciate them every day.”

Although losing 10 seniors will certainly impact the Tar Heels next season, Levy isn't worried about rebuilding. 

 “We are working in practice to get the next crop ready to go," Levy said. 

It seemed as if practice made perfect Saturday, as it wasn’t just the seniors who showed up against the Orange.

Sophomore Sydney Holman contributed two goals and three assists to North Carolina’s victory, while junior attacker Sammy Jo Tracy scored a hat trick, including a tricky behind-the-back shot worthy of the highlight reel. Tracy partially attributed her strong performance to Senior Day.

“It (being Senior Day) was one of the reasons why I came out and played as hard as I did,” she said. “ I thought we played very well.”

Although the Tar Heels gave up the first goal of the game, they quickly rebounded and pushed past the Orange, finishing the first half with a 7-3 lead.

And it didn't stop there.

Going on a 5-0 scoring run in the second period, North Carolina made sure the seniors got one final victory on their home turf.

Levy said Saturday’s game was important for the seniors, but it also showed just how far the team has come this year.

“We have been a work in progress all season,” she said. “I feel like we are starting to hit our stride.”

With an upcoming game against Duke for the ACC regular-season title and the ACC championships rapidly approaching, there is no better time for UNC to be at its best.

Going into the next week of practice, the Tar Heels have one major goal in mind, Tracy said.

“You come to Carolina to beat Duke.”

sports@dailytarheel.com