UNC women's lacrosse redefines goals after clinching conference against Duke

Throughout the 2016 season, North Carolina women’s lacrosse coach Jenny Levy has asked her senior players one simple question: “Who are we?”

She said the response changes often. But in No. 3 UNC’s 16-8 victory over No. 15 Duke on Saturday, the Tar Heel seniors showed that the answer to Levy’s simple question might be simple — the team is goal-oriented.

“You give us a task, and we’re going to spend the time to really focus and get that done,” Levy said. “And I think that sums up this group (of seniors).

“They’ve been reliable, consistent and hardworking in the four years that they’ve been here.”

With the win over Duke (9-7, 4-3 ACC), the Tar Heels (13-2, 7-0 ACC) finished undefeated in the ACC for the third time and for the first time since 2012.

Saturday also marked the final regular-season game for seven UNC seniors.

Six different players scored at least two goals in the matchup — including three goals from senior attacker Aly Messinger and two from redshirt senior midfielder Kelly Devlin.

“The balance on our team is really starting to show up,” Levy said. “I think we’re hard to shut down. Whether it’s settled offense or coming in from transition, we’ve got a lot of different pieces that are really clicking together for us.”

Messinger, who is second on the team with 45 points this season, is a four-year starter who has tallied 137 goals and 69 assists in her career.

She said the pregame ceremony that honored the seniors was filled with emotion for her and her teammates.

“It’s definitely a little sad because everyone departs after graduation,” Messinger said. “We’ve had a lot of memories and experiences together.

“But it’s the next chapter, so we’re going to enjoy it and embrace it while it lasts.”

This year’s senior class has compiled a record of 64-14 in the past four seasons — earning a national title, national runner-up and two ACC regular season titles along the way.

Devlin — who has served as one of the team captains for two years — said the senior class wants to leave a legacy by reaching goals it has yet to accomplish.

“We’ve won regular season ACCs, but we’ve never won it in the (conference tournament),” Devlin said. “So bringing home a trophy would be nice this year.”

The Tar Heels, who are riding a 10-game winning streak after defeating Duke, will enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season.

And as the postseason quickly approaches, Messinger has one goal placed in the back of her mind.

“Now it’s crunch time — you lose and you’re out,” Messinger said. “We’re really excited for it, and this is what we play all season for.

“I started my career winning a national championship. So I want to end my career with a national championship.”

@BenColey15

sports@dailytarheel.com