Every team has those losses its players and fans would rather not talk about.
At North Carolina, a few recent ones come to mind easily. Members of the UNC basketball community have done their best to purge the memories of Austin Rivers in 2012 and Kris Jenkins in 2016 from their minds. The football team’s controversial loss to Clemson in the 2015 ACC Championship Game will always be a sore spot.
This spring, there were two more losses to add to that running list. And since time heals all wounds, it’s time to take another look at these defeats from May and June.
The North Carolina women’s lacrosse program has been a long-standing model of consistency and success. Since its 1996 conception, UNC has only missed the NCAA Tournament twice in 22 years. And under head coach Jenny Levy, the Tar Heels have appeared in six Final Fours and four championship games since 2009, with wins in 2013 and 2016.
After an ACC Championship and first-round bye, North Carolina tore through Virginia, 23-12, in the round of 16. Those 23 goals set an NCAA record for most in a tournament game. So when a surging, unseeded Navy team came to town on May 20, there weren’t many nerves.
The game quickly turned into an upset alert as the Midshipmen led, 8-7, at halftime. The second-half score remained tight, but it became clear the Midshipmen were outworking the defending champs. They won key draw controls and key controlled ground balls as a throng of alumni in Fetzer Field’s bleachers became the loudest group at the game.
A 16-14 Navy win blocked UNC, the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed, from reaching its seventh semifinal in nine years. North Carolina’s players walked off the field dismally as Navy’s fans stormed the field and joined the team in its fight song.
“You can have belief, do everything in your power and take care of all your details and sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want it to,” Levy said after the loss. “And that's life.”
The Tar Heels didn’t play an awful game — the defeat was more confusing than anything else. It was supposed to be a tune-up for the Final Four, but Fetzer Field’s final game ended up being the site of an absolute stunner.