Less than a minute into North Carolina women’s lacrosse’s 18-3 victory over Mercer on Saturday, Katie Hoeg connected with fellow senior attacker Scottie Rose Growney for the first goal of the game.
Just 28 seconds later, the Tar Heels scored a second goal. Then, they scored again. And again. And again.
Before four minutes had passed, UNC was up 5-0, all before Mercer even had the chance to clear the ball to its side of the field. Four straight times the Tar Heels had controlled the draw and immediately scored, the latter three goals coming by way of Jamie Ortega, a senior attacker and the program’s all-time goals leader.
“Every game we play we always just want to come out strong, come with energy, come focused and dialed,” Ortega said. “Scoring three goals within a few minutes, I think everyone got into a groove and that's huge for us.”
The No. 1 Tar Heels put together one of their most dominant performances in a single frame this season, leading 14-0 at halftime. It was the most goals the team has scored in a half all season, with Ortega leading the way with five.
Ortega said that despite the lopsided score, the offense could not allow themselves to lose intensity.
“Any team can come back, and being at North Carolina everyone wants to play their best game against you, and we can’t really be able to lay low and lay back like that,” she said.
In addition to the team's strong offensive performance, the defense was also stout, allowing zero goals in a half for just the second time this season. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Moreno notched five saves in her only half of play, maintaining a perfect save percentage for the afternoon.
Moreno said that the early onslaught of scoring helped the defense settle into the game, with the Tar Heels leading comfortably before Mercer could even get off a shot on goal.
