UNC women's lacrosse couldn't keep up offensive pace in loss to No. 1 Boston College

When her team trailed by four goals less than 12 minutes into the first half, sophomore attacker Jamie Ortega knew she had to try to take control. 

So, the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team’s leading scorer did just that in the early minutes against No. 1 Boston College Saturday. Ortega scored the second of her three goals with 11:42 to play until halftime to cut UNC’s deficit to three. 

“We’re not used to being down by like four goals or anything like that,” Ortega said. “So I think that I just wanted to make an impact with our scoring or assisting or just getting a ground ball. And I think it kind of was a little bit contagious for my other teammates, just to kind of dial it in again and refocus.”   

Her play was infectious, as three other Tar Heels scored before the end of the first half. But it wasn’t enough to match the output of the program with the second-best scoring margin in the nation, and the Tar Heels (8-2, 1-1 ACC) fell to the Eagles (11-0, 2-0 ACC), 14-8, Saturday afternoon at UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium.

Even with goals from four different players in the opening 30 minutes, UNC was down 8-5 at halftime. And by the 16:17 mark of the second half, Boston College had extended its lead to six goals, with UNC still scoreless after the intermission. 

But the Tar Heels continued to trust in their team approach. With 13:35 left in the game, sophomore attacker Taylor McDaniels found the back of the net on an assist from Ortega. Then, three and a half minutes later, it was senior midfielder Gianna Bowe who scored, assisted by junior attacker Katie Hoeg.

Less than a minute later, Ortega completed her hat trick, scoring on another assist from Hoeg. With the find, Hoeg passed Sydney Holman for third all-time in assists in Tar Heel history.

Ortega’s last goal brought UNC within three goals of Boston College and made the score 11-8 with 9:22 remaining. The Tar Heels had the momentum heading into the media timeout that followed. Head coach Jenny Levy emphasized how crucial it was that her team makes a play the next time it gained possession. 

“We have to get the ball, and when we get the ball, we have to make a play off of it,” Ortega recalled her coach saying during the timeout. “We have to score off of it. And we just have to work together, because we weren’t really transitioning that well. And we have to help out the defenders more and give them better opportunities and chances.” 

Even with a sense of confidence after the breakdown of the huddle, UNC couldn’t convert when it had the chance to build on its run. A foul on Boston College senior midfielder Hannah Hyatt gave UNC a free position shot, but Hoeg’s attempt went wide left with 5:29 to play. 

The Eagles, on the other hand, wouldn’t miss on the opportunity to capitalize on the Tar Heels’ errors. A foul on junior midfielder Caroline Wakefield led to a man-up goal by Boston College with 4:03 left in the game. 

Just like that, all the momentum the Tar Heels had built vanished. 

“As a young group that is experiencing the journey of this year, we need to learn from that,” Levy said. “We need to learn how to anchor that moment, score a goal and go back to center draw.”

The Eagles continued to press, scoring two final goals in the last three minutes to put the nail in the coffin. 

Last season, Boston College also handed UNC its first loss of ACC play. But the Tar Heels avenged the loss by defeating the Eagles in April to capture an ACC Championship.

Though Levy said there’s plenty her team can learn from watching the film of this year’s contest and thinking about the approach it has taken previously, there won’t be much looking back if UNC gets another chance at taking down the best team in the nation.

“If we get a chance to play them again, that will be that day and there's no story involved with it except it's another day to play them,” Levy said.

@pupadhyaya_

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com