UNC women's lacrosse beats Albany, Canisius and gives Jenny Levy her 300th win

The No. 2 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team bulldozed its way through Albany and Canisius en route to a weekend sweep. In the process, the team handed head coach Jenny Levy her 299th and 300th wins, good for third-most all time among NCAA Division I coaches.

What happened?

UNC (5-1) had a rocky start on Friday afternoon, conceding three goals in the first 12 minutes of game action. The Great Danes led, 4-2, with 12 minutes left in the first half. 

Then, a light switch turned on for the Tar Heels. They went on a 12-0 run, thanks to five goals from senior attacker/midfielder Carly Reed. The Tar Heels didn't look back and won the match, 14-5, against Albany (2-3). 

Reed was helped by fellow upperclassmen midfielders Maggie Bill and Sydney Holman, who each produced a goal and three assists on the day. Senior attackers Sammy Jo Tracy and Molly Hendrick tallied two goals for the Tar Heels. 

Junior midfielder Marie McCool and sophomore Charlotte Sofield also added a goal for UNC. Senior Caylee Walters had a fabulous day in goal, securing 11 saves compared to only five goals allowed.

The Tar Heels got back on the field Sunday, easily defeating Canisius, 16-8, at the US Lacrosse Complex in Maryland. Canisius opened up the scoring early, producing a goal in the first 30 seconds of play. The Tar Heels responded immediately, running off an 8-0 run in the next 26 minutes and did not look back, winning the match 16-8. 

Molly Hendrick was excellent, tying a career high with six goals on the day and adding an assist to finish with nine points on the weekend. Holman was the distributor, dishing out four assists on the day to finish the weekend with eight points. 

Tracy, Reed and Ela Hazar each added two more goals for the Tar Heels. Waters struggled in goal, allowing seven goals compared to four saves in 51 minutes of play. 

Redshirt first-year Elise Hennessey was inserted in the game with nine minutes remaining. She gave up one goal and made one save.

Who stood out?

It was all upperclassmen for the Tar Heels throughout the weekend. Hendrick led the way, scoring eight goals and adding nine points this weekend. Holman was just as good and contributed eight more points for her squad. Reed finished the weekend with seven goals and an assist. Sammy Jo Tracy scored four goals combined over the two games.

Waters had a solid ratio of 15 saves to 12 goals on the weekend, playing all but nine minutes in the two matches.

When was it decided?

Both games were tight early on, but the Tar Heels went on a 12-0 run Friday to close out the Great Danes. 

They finished off Canisius in similar fashion Sunday, exploding for an 8-0 run to take an 8-1 lead en route to a 16-8 victory.

Why does it matter?

With the win over Canisius, North Carolina head coach Jenny Levy won her 300th game. The win makes Levy the third coach in women’s lacrosse history to reach the plateau.

“It’s a program accomplishment,” Levy said. “I’ve had the opportunity to coach at North Carolina and work with great student athletes, faculty and organizations. Certainly not an individual accomplishment. It’s a program accomplishment. Started it from scratch in 1995 and we’ve built it collectively. The momentum is really starting to takeoff and it’s fun.”

Hendrick, a senior, recognized the significance of the milestone for her coach.

“It meant a lot for sure,” Hendrick said. “I didn’t really think of it until after the game. Jenny’s 300th win was a huge accomplishment for her and the team and we are grateful to be part of it."

Where do they play next?

UNC faces off with Virginia next Saturday in Chapel Hill at 12 p.m. The game marks the start of conference play.

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